No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 9 



crops it is capable of producing, where conditions are favorable, to- 

 gether with its unusually high feeding value and its importance as 

 an accumulator of nitrogen in the soil, make it well worth careful 

 study and experimentation by the Pennsylvania farmer. If we can 

 provide the conditions necessary to its successful growth, there 

 can be no doubt concerning its becoming one of the richest and best 

 paying crops produced upon the farms of the State. 



FRUIT CULTURE. 



It is gratifying to see the increased interest that has been taken 

 in fruit growing during the last two or three years. Having no- 

 ticed the tendency in this direction, a competent and practical fruit 

 grower was employed by this Department to inquire into the local 

 conditions of the various sections of the State and their adaptabil- 

 ity to fruit production, to make such investigation as seemed neces- 

 sary to determine the varieties best suited to the several districts of 

 the State and to prepare a bulletin covering as well as possible, in 

 the limited space that could be allotted to such bulletin, the entire 

 subject of Fruit Growing in Pennsylvania. This bulletin was one 

 of the Department publications for the year 1907. The demand for 

 it was unprecedented, which shows the lively interest that is being 

 taken in the subject of fruit growing by the farmers of the State. 

 Although 1.5,000 copies were printed, it was thought for a while that 

 we should be compelled to issue a second edition. 



The work being done by the Pennsylvania State Horticultural So- 

 ciety is worthy of the highest commendation. This is an associa- 

 tion of intelligent practical horticulturists, principally fruit growers, 

 who meet regularly for the discussion of subjects bearing upon 

 fruit growing and other branches of Horticulture; and the published 

 journals of their proceedings add very much to the value of the ag- 

 ricultural literature of the State. 



Fruit Growers Associations have been organized in a number of 

 counties and all are performing excellent service for the fruit 

 growing industry. One of the most active of these 'associations is 

 located in Adams county, and in order to determine the value of 

 certain materials, when applied as sprays for the extermination of 

 insects and diseases destructive to fruits and fruit trees by farmers 

 and orchardists who make no claim to being specialists in this line, 

 as well as the cost of the same, an arrangement was made by this 

 Department with said Association to conduct a series of experi- 

 ments and to report results. The intention in the first place was to 

 publish the report in full, as a bulletin of the Department, but later, 

 the Association was asked to prepare a summary of the report, 

 which appears elsewhere in this report, and which it is believed will 

 prove very valuable th fruit growers generally. 



The work that is being done by the Zoological Department to 

 help the fruit growers of the State, speaks for itself. It is not only 

 receiving the highest commendation of our local fruit growers, but 

 it is attracting the attention of fruit growers all over the country. 



MARKET GARDENING. 



That Pennsylvania produces annually over .|1.5,000,000 worth of 

 vegetables, is a statement that will no doubt surprise many who 

 may read thig report. But one state in the Union exceeds this 

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