224 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



be a good investment to do much more careful pruning and shaping 

 of our apple trees. The branches might be better placed; made 

 thicker and stronger and better exposure of the centers of the trees 

 to sun and air made ])ossibIe. Considerable pruning in future 

 years might also be avoided by doing more in the early life of the 

 trees. 



In this discussion, an effort has been made to elucidate certain 

 features which hitherto have not been given a fair share of atten- 

 tion. If the ideas advanced have no other effect than to awaken 

 thought and lead to deeper study as much good will be done as 

 can reasonably be expected. 



SPRAYING, THE SHEET-ANCHOR OF SUCCESS 



By DR. J. H. FUNK, Boyertown. Pa. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Farmers and Fruit 

 Raisers: I feel it an honor to stand before this assembly this even- 

 ing; but I must admit it seems somewhat mysterious why I am put 

 upon the program annually to talk before the intelligent audience 

 that compose the State Board of Agriculture and my fellow- 

 lecturers. And were it not for the fact that our worthy Deputy 

 Secretary of Agriculture is very fond of a joke it would be difficult 

 to ascertain the reason. 



I feel somewhat lonesome, and am placed in the position of the 

 German soldier, who, in the quiet hours of the night was visited 

 by a polecat, who let his presence be known in his own character- 

 istic manner; finding that his tent-mates were all asleep, exclaimed: 

 ''Mine Gott! 1 haf to schmell it all mine self." I will endeavor to 

 do my best in a very brief manner. 



Emerson says, ''The man who writes a better book, or makes 

 a better mouse trap than his neighbors will lind the world making 

 a beaten path to his door." I am not going to write a book, neither 

 am I going to make a mouse trap, for I have a beautiful yard covered 

 with a rich- carpet of grass, and I do not want it trodden down. 

 But I will give you some of my practical experience with spraying 

 that may be of benefit to at least a few of you. 



Spraying, from some cause or other, is more neglected or less 

 understood than any other important factor in fruit raising. And 

 yet in these times of insect depredations and fungus, and bacterial 

 diseases, it is pre-eminently the most essential of all means em- 

 ployed in the production of choice fruit. 



So necessary has good spraying become in order to obtain good 

 fruit, that many have fallen into the error of thinking that spray- 

 ing is all that there is to fruit raising. We must not cease to 

 remember that however important spraying is, it is only one of the 

 factors, pruning, fertilizing and cultivation are all so closely allied 

 that entire success depends upon their joint efforts. Any one of 



