STATE POMOtOGICAI, SOCIEITY. 69 



Further comment from me I think is unnecessary. An appli- 

 cation to Dr. Felt at Albany, N. Y., will doubtless bring his last 

 year's report, with this matter carefully tabulated, and illus- 

 trated with photographs, showing the piles of apples, wormy 

 and free; all of which should convince the most skeptical of 

 the value of a spraying so long as it is done at the right time 

 with the right material and thoroughly. 



SOME ESSENTIALS IN THE PLANTING AND BRING- 

 ING INTO BEARING OF SUCCESSFUL APPLE OR- 

 CHARDS, CONSERVATION OF SOIL FERTILITY, 

 AND THE PROPAGATION OF MORE PRODUCTIVE 

 TREES. 



Address by Hon. George T. Poweee, President of the Agri- 

 cultural Experts' Association, New York. 



With the great acreage that is devoted to apple culture, it is 

 a surprising fact that the production of this great staple fruit, 

 and the best of all fruits, does not keep pace with the demand 

 for it. 



So short has the supply of apples been for several years, so 

 high has been the cost in recent years, and so much greater has 

 been the increase in population than the increase in the supply 

 of the fruit, that they have been beyond the reach of the great 

 mass of consumers. 



In 1900, the orchard products of the United States were 

 worth $83,571,840. Of this amount California produced 

 $14,526,786, and New York $10,542,272. Of the total number 

 of fruit trees planted, the apple represents 55%. 



In 1896, our apple crop reached 69,879,000 barrels. In that 

 year Maine produced 2,419,000 barrels, but in common with all 

 other apple-producing states, the yield has been greatly lessened 

 since. 



For this condition of a great shortage of apples, year after 

 year, there are three principal causes — depleted soil, non-pro- 

 ductive trees, and injurious insects. 



While after two centuries of production, the soil of New 

 England is by no means exhausted of its fertility, it is to an 

 extent depleted, and to a degree that the orchards are not 

 maintaining their old-time yields. 



