No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 501 



Pennsjlvania is concerned. Only five report it among the three 

 most profitable. On the other hand, apples of good quality are 

 making rapid strides to the front. Smokehouse for instance, re- 

 ceives a slightly larger vote than Ben Davis. People are begin- 

 ning to buy apples for their quality and not merely for their looks. 

 This general trend should be kept in mind by growers starting new 

 orchards. We should plant trees which will produce quality as 

 well as quantity. It is probably a mistake to plant York Imperial 

 where the Baldwin thrives. And in counties where the Baldwin 

 fails as a commercial apple and where the York Imperial takes first 

 place, it is hoped that some variety will yet be found which possesses 

 all the good points of York Imperial and which far surpasses it in 

 quality. We call particular attention to the varieties grown by Dr. 

 J. H. Funk, of Berks county, who at a former meeting of this so- 

 ciety discussed their merits and who writes most favorably con- 

 cerning their behavior the past season. A small test orchard 

 should form a valuable adjunct to every large commercial orchard. 

 If there is anything better than York Imperial which will make as 

 much money per acre, by all means lets have it. 



Northern Spy is voted third place in the list for profit. Varieties 

 mentioned three or more times besides the ones alreadv named, are 

 Rhode Island Greening, Rome Beauty, Smith's Cider, Grimes Gol- 

 den, King and Summer Rambo. 



The matter of storage houses is receiving increased attention. 

 Fruit growers realize as never before the necessity of proper stor- 

 age facilities. The bulk of the winter apple crop is sold too soon 

 in the fall or early winter to secure the largest profit and the effect 

 of this rush for the market is disastrous to prices. Low prices are 

 inevitable. A more even distribution of the crop during the entire 

 period of consumption would have a most desirable effect in raising 

 prices. But not one grower in ten is prepared to store apples under 

 the proper conditions. Cellars are generally used and very few are 

 at all suitable to keep apples for any considerable period. Un- 

 doubtedly the best houses are those in which the temperature is 

 controlled by the use of ice. But this kind of storage is financially 

 impossible with the majority of farmers and even orchardists. The 

 great need on hundreds of farms is a cheap, well and properly built 

 fruit house which will enable the grower to hold his fruit in perfect 

 condition until March, April or May. The chairman of this commit- 

 tee expresses the hope that this matter will receive special atten- 

 tion at our next annual meeting in the way of places and recommen- 

 dations for such houses as are practicable and within the means of 

 the average grower or farmer to erect. Expensive ice storage 

 frightens the small grower out of the notion of any kind of storage 

 except cellars. 



Favorable seasonal and climatic conditions have much to do with 

 success or failure in Pennsylvania, but they are not the most potent 

 factors. Careful attention all along the line usually brings success. 

 On the other hand the grower who neglects tillage, feeding, pruning 

 and spraying cannot look for entire or even fair success. Orchard- 

 ing to-day requires wisdom, industry and persistency. 



As to controlling the apple tree borer, the use of the wire and 

 knife are almost universally recommended. Protection by paper 

 or a fine mesib Wire screeijiog is practiced by a few. Dr. Funk states 



