28 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



The year 19 15 will go down in liistory as the most unfavorable 

 season for the fruit grower recorded in recent years. The spring 

 opened full of promise and, with nearly a normal bloom and a 

 good set of fruit, the prospects were favorable for a fair crop; 

 but our hopes were soon blighted, for, on June 3, came a 

 heavy frost which ruined fifty per cent of the young fruit 

 then set and unfavorable weather conditions which prevailed 

 through the growing season have reduced the crop to about 

 twenty per cent of a normal yield. Yet, with all the extremely 

 wet and unfavorable weather conditions under which fruit has 

 grown, there is little evidence of apple scab. Especially is this 

 true where thorough spraying has been practiced. 



A large amount of injury has been done to fruit the past 

 season by insect pests — such as the apple worm, bud-moth, apple 

 maggot, aphis and tarnished plant bug— a large percentage of 

 which can be controlled by thorough and intelligent spraying. 



Every orchardist should make a careful study of the life his- 

 tory of these orchard pests and use his best efforts to control 

 them, thereby increasing the yield and improving the quality of 

 the fruit produced. 



The storage problem is an important one with every commer- 

 cial orchardist. 



What is the most economical storage ? 



To what advantage is cold storage ? 



How can we prevent storage scald? 



What varieties should be stored? 



Would a pre-cooling plant at shipping points be a paying 



proposition? 



Such important questions are continually coming up in sea- 

 sons of large crops. 



An appropriation was asked for, at the last session of the 

 legislature, to provide an experimental storage plant at High- 

 moor Farm, believing that much valuable information could 

 be secured by our experiment station on this important subject. 

 The measure was poorly supported and. consequently, was de- 

 feated. Nevertheless, the subject is a live one, on which I 

 hope we may have a free discussion by the members of this 

 society during these sessions. 



I want to call your attention to the fact that through the 

 organized effort of this society the yield and quality of the 



