608 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



In many instances nothing is being done to control the pest. 

 This is almost uniformly the case with general farmers who regard 

 the orchard a side issue. It will be exceedingly difficult if not im- 

 possible to get the mass of our farmers to spray their large, poorly 

 farmed trees. In fact it would not pay many farmers to spray their 

 old trees, many of which are inferior varieties. Those who make 

 orcharding a distinct business cannot afford not to spray and the 

 lime, salt and sulphur treatment is almost universally applied. 

 Various properties are used in preparing this mixture. 



FERTILIZERS. 



Commercial fertilizers are generally and extensively used by gard- 

 eners and fruit growers. Factory mixed goods are the most com- 

 monly employed. iThere is a growing tendency, however, to pre- 

 pare the goods at home mixing on the barn floor or other sm^ooth 

 floor. The advantages of home mixing are, first a saving of sev- 

 eral dollars per ton; second, getting what you want in the form 

 you want; third, the ration can be mixed to suit the crop for which 

 it is to be applied. 



TILLAGE. 



Tillage is a necessity to the young tree. All the correspondents 

 who venture remarks on tillage take this position. The young tree 

 must be cultivated until it begins to bear. Then growers do as 

 they please. The same results are or may be procured by different 

 methods of tillage and mulching, or by a combination of these 

 operations. Some continue clean tillage after the trees begin bear- 

 ing, sowing cover crops in July or August. Others keep the bear- 

 ing orchard in sod and by careful attention to other matters suc- 

 ceed in producing excellent crops. Some follow a system of mulch- 

 ing the efficiency of which depends on the quantity and quality of 

 the mulch. Conditions are so variable that there is no one best 

 system suited to all localities. The constant aim should be to main- 

 tain a hardy, healthy, vigorous growth, and variable conditions 

 require different methods. 



NOTES FKOM CORRESPONDENTS. 



AUSTIN WRIGHT, ALUM BANK, BEDFORD CO. 



The planting of new orchards in this county has been on the in- 

 crease for the past ten years. As the apple is the only fruit which 

 can be conveniently marketed in this section there is very little at- 

 tention given to any other fruit. Peaches are grown only to sup- 

 ply local demand. Within the past year the San Jos^ Scale has 

 been observed in certain localities, but the spread of the pest has 

 certainly not been very rapid. A disease not well understood has 

 been observed in apple orchards within the past few years. In June 

 or Julv the foliage turns vellow and the leaves fall so fast that 



