446 BOARD OF AGEICULTUPE. 



You know the consequences if the farmer should care for these trees 

 during the tedious years from planting to bearing when he finds to his 

 disappointment and disgust that many of his trees are worthless. He 

 thinks the time and chances of reaping rewards from his labor too remote 

 to begin again and plant an orchard of reliable trees. This experiment 

 has been too costly. 



Besides the extravagant price paid for trees, he has no reward for 

 his labor and no profit from the land for many years, a^d he turns from 

 fruit culture in disgust to raising hogs and corn and occasionally buys a 

 peck of apples from the neighboring store to treat the children. This 

 may be an extreme case, for most farms produce a few apples of poor 

 quality on account of the unchecked ravages of insect pests, but a very 

 small portion produce all that could or should be used in the home. 



What few bearing orchards there are are uncultivated and unsprayed 

 and generations of codling moth and cankerAvorms increase their foul 

 breed without let or hindrance. In the tow^nship in which I live I know 

 of no one save the wi'iter who practices spraying. There may be a few 

 in the county, but am reasonably certain that they might be counted on 

 the fingers of one hand. Many apple orchards are so infected with can- 

 kerworms that in early June the leaves have the appearance of being 

 burned with fire and the apple that escapes the codling moth is seldom 

 seen. 



The amount of pears, plums and small fruits produced in the aggregate 

 in this district, however, appears to be increasing, judging from the fre- 

 quent glutting of markets in the seasons of these fruits. 



There are no commercial orchards of any size in the district; a very 

 few, perhaps, of 10 or 12 acres in extent. 



In our county three local societies are maintained. These societies, 

 however, are more occupied with general farm topics than horticulture. 

 However, the sections where these meetings are held are more ad- 

 vanced in horticulture than any other. More and better orchards are 

 found there. As to causes of the poor conditions of orchards in the dis- 

 trict, I would name: 



First. Lack of knowledge how to plant and care for an orchard. 



Second. Lack of time by the general farmer to plant, spray, etc., at 

 the time when this must be done. 



Third. Lack of knowledge of what varieties to plant and where to 

 get the trees of reliable men, many who have had experience with tree 

 agents thinking the whole tree business a swindle. 



There is need of education along all of these lines through the press 

 and local societies, wherever such can be organized and maintained. 



Mr. Thomas: I have a small report from our district. Our district 

 is agricultural In the fullest sense of the term. The farmers are engaged 

 in diversified farming, specializing mostly on corn and hogs, some on 



