308 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



globular or oblong in form, they are very attractive on the tree or as a 

 centerpiece on the table. Among the varieties noted for their beauty are 

 Conklin, Crawford's Early, Crawford's Late, Alberge Yellow and Large 

 Early York and many others. The plum has tints and shades of color 

 differing somewhat from those of any other species of fruit. They are 

 blue, red, yellow, purple, violet and carmine. Some of the Japan varieties 

 are quite brilliantly colored, as are some of the Americanas. Thus we may 

 continue through all the species of domestic fruit improved by the aid of 

 man. The cherry, grape, currant, gooseberry, l)lackberry, raspberry and 

 .'Strawberry, each has a special beauty of its own. And all are such an 

 impro\ement upon tne natural production of their several species as to 

 entitle their producers to be called artists. The earth has been made 

 much more beautiful by their labors. In view of all the scenes that the 

 horticulturist produces, that he who rides or walks may see how much 

 he does to beautify the earth by improving upon nature, who would deny 

 him a place among artists. He lives in a palace all his own, surrounded 

 with beautiful landscapes, painted by nature, is king of all he surveys and 

 his path is strewn with flowers. 



I do not care what the flowers may be, 



Or coarser the shape or liner; 

 They are all one beautiful work to me, 



And God is the great designer. 

 Children of sunshine, earth and dew. 



And the great blue sky above' them, 

 Delicate shading or gaudier hue. 



Flowers of the earth, we love them. 



President Hobbs: If there is no discussion of this paper, we will 

 pass to the next, which is, "Spraying and Spraying Mixtvires," by Pro- 

 fessor Webster, who addressed us this morning. 



Professors Webster's paper was as follows: 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen— After the smoke of the battle 

 at Santiago had drifted away, we decided that although we had a Schley 

 and a Sampson, and that they were good fighters, the victory was due to 

 the man behind the gun. I want to make a keynote of this. I don't care 

 what kind of a machine you have; I don't care anything about how you 

 make your mixtures; I do not care anything about the mixtures them- 

 selves, unless I can know something aliout the man who holds the nozzle. 

 Of the one hundred points in spraying, ninety of them depend upon the 

 man who holds the nozzle, and we have found that out of about eighteen 

 months' work, not only with one or two men, but with eighteen or twenty 

 of them, not only in one orchard, but in hundreds of them; but in watch- 

 ing the spraying of several hundred other men, more or less careful in their 

 work, we are just beginning to find out what spraying is. 



