360 ANNUAL. REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



The quulity also .was fair. Iilij;lit remains to be the most destruc- 

 tive element to this crop. The crop of peaches was an entire failure 

 in hundreds of orchards, wliile other orchards in the same district 

 bore full crops of first-class fruit; the keeping quality was extra 

 fine. The causes of these various conditions was due to the severe 

 winter. 



Where the orchards were located at an elevation of about 1,000 

 feet above sea level, a full crop w^as secured, while in the same dis- 

 tricts, orchards located at an elevation lower than 800 feet above 

 sea level were not only winter-killed in the fruit buds, but hundreds 

 of trees were killed entirely. Grapes in most parts of the State 

 were a fair crop. 



Quinces are not producing as well as usual and for that reason 

 are planted sparsely. 



Plums.- — It is scarcely necessary to make allusion to this crop 

 since it is so well known, that in 1004 the Japs won. It is, however, 

 true that some varieties, such as Lombard and Imperial Gage and 

 a few other varieties made a fair showing; but nothing in compari- 

 son to the Japan varieties. Especially is this true of Burbank, 

 Abundance, Wickson and Willard. It remains to be known what 

 the outcome will be when all the Japan plum trees planted at the 

 present time come to bearing. I fear it will be like the Kieffer 

 pear and Ben Davis apple, quantity, not quality. 



Cherries.— This fruit was a fair crop in some parts of the State 

 and an entire failure in other parts, like the peach, good and poor 

 crops in the same locality. It does best on loose, warm, elevated 

 soil. Sour varieties or that of the Morello type seem to be hardier 

 than the sweets, from the fact that they can be grown on low grounds. 



The year 1904 may be classed as a profitable one to the careful 

 grower. Prices w^ere fairly satisfactory for all fruits, except apples, 

 of which too many common varieties were pressed on the market, 

 together with a large per cent, of windfalls, blown down just a 

 little before picking time. 



There seems to be two classes of fruit growers. The first class 

 are those who grow the fruit; the second class are those who allow 

 it to grow. The first class are those who nurse the tree from the 

 very day it is planted until the fruit is gathered. They are close 

 observers, doing the proper thing at the proper time. They watch 

 every detail in the business. Their fruit farms show thrift; and 

 being a progressive class of people they are a credit to this Com- 

 monwealth. They are a class of people who will not listen to theory; 

 they want practical everyday information. They don't want to be 

 told how rapid the San Jos^ Scale increases, but how fast it can 

 be subdued. They do not care to be told how fast or slow this 

 scale moves from one tree to another; but want to kno;/ how soon 

 it can be prevented from doing so. They do not care how long they 

 live at this present day; but want to know how soon they can be 

 destroyed. They want our practical men to come right down to 

 business; less talk about its habits and more and better plans for 

 its extermination. 



The second class are those who plant trees, cultivate very little, if 

 any, and depend on Providence to grow their fruit. They only visit 

 their orchards about the time they expect the fruit to be ripe. Their 



