730 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



the mountains of Asia, and the islands and sub-divisions of the Phil- 

 ippine Archipelago, when they don't know the names of the trees in 

 the dooryard or the woodland; much less do they know about the 

 value of them for the ordinary uses or the influence they exert upon 

 c4imatic conditions. Modern education educates the boy away from 

 the soil. He is stuffed and stuffed, but little is attempted to put 

 him in sympathy' with his environments. No earnest attempt is 

 made to put the young in communion with Nature. The various 

 languages she speaks is deeply veiled. The boy of 1903 will not 

 travel in the old rut; you m.ust show him the new and the better way 

 or he will join the mad rush to the city. 



During the last two years I endeavored to ascertain to what ex- 

 tent (1) feeding or fertilizing, (2) tillage or cultivation, and (3) spray- 

 ing or insuring the crop against insect pests and fungous diseases 

 are practiced in the State. I am forced to the conclusion from re- 

 ports received that these essentials are sadly neglected. For fuller 

 information, members are invited to examine reports from the vari- 

 ous localities. 



A summary of the answers to the inquiries follow: 



APPLES. 



While on the whole, there was a fair croj) of this fruit, the results 

 were very variable. Some of the correspondents, notably, from the 

 northern and northeastern portions of the State, report the yield 

 "very good, the largest for years, the largest ever known." With 

 some exceptions the yield in the southern section was below the 

 average. Some counties report an almost total failure; others from 

 one-eighth to one-half a crop. The central counties, on the average, 

 report a fair crop. 



In some instances, the failure is attributed to adverse climatic 

 conditions, cold and wet weather during the blossoming period, the 

 off-year, etc. Unavoidable climatic conditions it is believed con- 

 tribute fai' less to fruit crop failures than neglect of the orchard. 

 The orchard is often the most thoroughly neglected spot on the farm. 

 It is expected to serve every purpose, pasture lot, potato patch and 

 so on, except the one for which it was intended, or for which should 

 be set apart; the production of apples. Neglect is written all over 

 it; it is starved, given over to the ravages of insects and fungi, and 

 then the unhappy owner wonders why his family crop fails. 



The varieties reported as doing best over the State are herein 

 noted. Ben Davis and York Imperial are planted more largely than 

 any other varieties. The wisdom of this is questionable. The State 

 will hardly go to the front as an apple-producing state with these 

 two varieties in the lead. You may catch the crops, but catching 

 the markets is something else. 



