No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 485 



of our (Oirespoudents lecouimeiids the Senator apple very highly 

 as a tiller, saying that it is a handsome as Wealthy, bears better and 

 has better flavor. 



Only twentj-two correspondents report any commercial planting 

 of summer and fall varieties. Many express an opinion that such 

 planting would be profitable and the Chairman recommends that 

 growers give more attention to this field of apple culture. 



In answer to the question: "Do growers pack their own apples and 

 does it work satisfactorily?'' only about one-third of the answers 

 were affirmative, but in nearly every case the report showed satis- 

 factory results where this plan had been tried and there is little 

 doubt that growers can sell to better advantage when equipped for 

 doing their OAvn packing. 



''Would you favor a law to enforce uniform grading and pack- 

 ing?" brought out forty-nine affirmative and eighteen negative an- 

 sw^ers, many being strongly in favor of such legislation and a few 

 expressing doubt as to the possibility of successful regulation. 



Pears. 



The jjcar crop the past season has been a light one in nearly all 

 parts of the State. In most cases the quality was good, a very few 

 reports showing poor quality. 



The outlook for future pear crops in Pennsylvania, however, does 

 not seem ver^- bright. Only eight counties report any commercial 

 planting of pears and many of the old trees are going out rapidly. 



Blight is by far the most serious enemy to successful p<;'ar growing 

 and is reported to be doing much damage. San Jos6 Scale, when not 

 controlled, is causing much loss to pear growers. 



Favorite varieties are Bartlett, Keiff'er and Seckel, in the order 

 named, with Clapp's Favorite, Sheldon and Lawrence mentioned 

 three or more times. 



Peaches. 



The peach crop in Pennsylvania was almost a failure, only four 

 reported a good crop, nine fair and fifty-four reported very poor. 

 With a very fcAV exceptions, correspondents reported conditions ex- 

 ceedingly unfavorable for this fruit. Late spring frosts and rain 

 at time of blooming were reported for nearly all sections. The vote 

 is almost evenly divided between yellows, borers, and scale as the 

 most destructive enemies of the peach grower. Regarding Brown 

 Rot, eight report that it is being controlled, thirty report that it is 

 not controlled, while seven say they have no trouble with Brown Rot. 

 There is decided lack of unity in answering the question ''Is peach 

 c-ulture profitable in your county?" thirty-six answering "Yes" and 

 thirty give a negative answer. It is hard to divide the State with 

 reference to these two conditions, but in general the southern 

 counties, some of the central ones, and a few of the eastern ones 

 report fair profits while north and west, with the possible exception 

 of Erie and Crawford counties, peaches do not seem to do well. 



