REPORT OF" STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. ^JJ 



advancement of an industry that bids fair to become one of the 

 leading sources of revenue to our progressive farming com- 

 munity. 



Although the department at Washington, the many state 

 institutions, pomological societies, and the agricultural press at 

 large have published from time to time books, bulletins, pam- 

 phlets, circulars and general items which have covered the 

 whole category of known facts and theories on the subject of 

 orchard care and management, yet we deem it best at this time 

 to place before you a concise digest of the whole subject. 



A well balanced system of orchard management is to give 

 due care to all of the essentials such as cultivation, fertilization, 

 pruning, spraying, thinning, picking, sorting, storing, and sell- 

 ing. There are many very important side issues connected 

 with each of the above essentials. Take the matter of fertili- 

 zation for instance; why! there are enough soil problems so 

 that their solutions would last through the winter evenings. 



The line of spraying opens up a broad field for insect inves- 

 tigation and fungous diseases. Make the orchard a business 

 venture and keep an account of everything pertaining to its 

 interests, both on the debit and the credit side. At the end of 

 the year you will know where you stand ; and the next year you 

 can profit by your failures. A good first-class apple should be 

 the aim of your endeavors; never be satisfied with anything 

 short of that. If a poor apple is produced there is some good 

 reason for it. Aim to remedy this by a careful study of your 

 orchard. If you haven't the right stock and your trees are too 

 old to top graft, the better plan would be to remove them root 

 and branch and get ready for new ones to take their places. 

 Old orchard land should be kept up and a rotation of crops 

 practiced for a few years before being again set to an orchard. 



Definite rules cannot be laid down for every one to follow. 

 Each owner must get acquainted with his soil and trees. His 

 whole business as far as orcharding goes, should be to learn 

 the individual needs of each variety of trees, and then aim to 

 supply these wants. 



Trees are much like human beings and each tree has an indi- 

 viduality all its own, and must be dealt with accordingly. As 

 in any other business, one must have a liking for the work and 

 "become acquainted with all of the factors that enter into the 



