STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 35 



tions of the country. These included a view illustrating the 

 sod-mulching method as practiced by Mr. Grant G. Hitchings 

 of Onondaga County, New York; a Maiden Blush apple or- 

 chard about 30 years old in New Jersey, the symmetry of the 

 trees and the heavy crop of fruit which they were bearing 

 being the points of chief interest ; one showing a Gravenstein 

 orchard in New Jersey which was planted before the matter 

 of low heads had been as much agitated as has been the case 

 during the past few years, the present orchard showing very 

 high heads; tvvo views showing early apples loaded at the or- 

 chard for further disposition, one going to the Philadelphia 

 market, the other loaded with 7-8 bushel baskets ready to be 

 taken to the shipping station. 



In the same manner typical views were shown in important 

 orchard districts in West Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, the Ozark 

 Region, Iowa, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and California. 

 In the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast States where fruit 

 growing is confined quite definitely to particular districts and 

 river valleys, the views shown were representative of the vari- 

 ous districts and valleys in which important fruit interests have 

 been developed. Several packing scenes were shown indicating 

 packing houses, packing tables, the packing of apples in boxes, 

 etc. 



The two citrus packing houses in California were shown and 

 commented on because of the fact that one of them was an old 

 style packing house in which a great deal of overhead ma- 

 chinery was used. In this type of packing house, the fruit was 

 elevated to a relatively high point and then allowed to drop by 

 gravity through various spouts, runs, etc., as it passed through 

 graders, sizing machines and other apparatus in its transit to 

 the bins from which it was packed. The other citrus packing 

 house was a modern one showing the changes which had been 

 made in recent years following the work of the Office of Field 

 Investigations in Pomology in connection with the serious losses 

 which the shippers sustained, due to the decay of the fruit in 

 transit from California to eastern markets. This work showed 

 very clearly that the decay of the oranges was very largely 

 traceable to injuries which the fruit received either in the 

 orange groves before it was taken to the packing houses or 

 while it was being handled after it reached the packing house. 



