40 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



it looks as if good fruit would command a very fair figure 

 later on, but it is a question in the mind of the writer whether 

 or not fruit will stand up in storage. 



The continuation of the war in Europe resulted in a rela- 

 tively small export trade, although prices on the Liverpool 

 market would have been very satisfactory in normal seasons. 

 Freight rates covering transportation to English markets 

 started in the vicinity of a $1.25 per barrel and have now 

 reached the figure of $2 per barrel, with only limited space. 

 Some of the more fortunate growers and associations have 

 been able to secure space for $1.25 per barrel up to the first 

 of January. Much of the Canadian fruit has been shipped 

 through American ports and they have offered in some in- 

 stances a bonus of from 20 to 50 cents a barrel for ocean space. 



Insects and Diseases oe Fruit and Tree. 



Railroad Worm. While we have experienced more or less 

 difficulty in the control of this insect for the past several years, 

 it would seem that the percentage of damage done during the 

 past season is the greatest yet experienced. A successful way 

 of protecting the fruit from this pest is yet to be realized. 

 Last year the so-called sweetened spray made by adding a 

 gallon of molasses or a certain amount of some sweet material 

 to fifty gallons of arsenate of lead mixture proved very satis- 

 factory. When it was time to spray this year, that is, while the 

 flies were hovering about the trees before laying their eggs, 

 the continued rains made it almost impossible to apply the 

 mixture and hope for any satisfactory results. No doubt 

 under normal conditions this sweetened mixture will prove a 

 very valuable asset in our spraying operations, but in such sea- 

 son as this it would seem to be of little benefit. The impracti- 

 cability of controlling this insect by picking up the windfalls 

 when the orchard is located in the immediate vicinity of an- 

 other where the windfalls are not picked up has been already 

 plainly demonstrated, and it is only by the cooperation of all 

 growers in picking up the drops that any real benefit may be 

 derived. 



In addition to the varieties commonly infested we find the 

 Insect working more or less extensively in the Baldwin, Stark, 

 Spy, King and several other varieties. 



