No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 573 



11.60 per basket. A feAv throwers (juote 20 cents to 30 cents per 

 S-poiind basket, and this would seem to be a very good package 

 in which to handle plums. The conditions governing the produc- 

 tion of this crop were usually good, although a number of growers 

 report late killing frosts as having curtailed the yield. Commer- 

 cial planting of i)luuis is not on the increase, except in half a dozen 

 counties, and the varieties mostly grown are the German Prune, 

 Lombard, Bradshaw, York State Prune, Avhile a few prefer the Japan- 

 ese varieties, as the Burbank, Abundance and Satsuma. The curculio 

 is without doubt the most serious ])est affecting plums. This, with 

 brown rot, black knot, San Jose scale, together with limited markets 

 in most sections for the fruit, no doubt has tended to deter extensive 

 planting. 



Sixty per cent, of my correspondents state that cherries are not 

 grown largel}^ in their respective sections, although Avhere they are 

 grown tlie}' are nearly always profitable. As to the best varieties 

 for shipping, Montmorency receives the largest number of votes, 

 Avith the Earlv Kichmond a close second. Following in order are 

 Dyehouse, Napoleoti, Biggareau, Black Tartarian, May Duke and 

 Eeine Hortense. 



There is but one section of the State in which grape growing is 

 carried on extensively, viz: the extreme northwestern, and here 

 the crop has been fair to good. In the remainder of the State grapes 

 are usually grown for home use, and to supply the local markets to 

 a certain extent. The Avorst pests of the grape are black rot, mildew, 

 grapeberry moth, rose l»ugs, and root Avorms. Concord, Niagara, 

 Worden, Brighton and Moore's Early are the principal varieties. 



The faA'orite varieties of straAvberries seem to be HaA^erland, 

 Bubach, Dunlap, Sample, Glen ^lary, BrandyAvine and William Belt. 

 Of raspberries, the Gregg is the most popular, followed in order 

 Avith Cumberland, Cuthbert and Kansas, as the best paying varieties 

 of raspberries, and Snyder, Eldorado, Erie, Kittatinny, Meserreau, 

 are A''oted the hardiest and best blackberries. The only other small 

 fruits grown Avith profit reported are currants, gooseberries and 

 dewberries. 



The past season has, as a rule, been favorable to the growth of 

 vegetables, and tomatoes, potatoes, beans, peas, cabbage, corn, aspar- 

 agus and onions are crops Avhich have paid best. The crop is gen- 

 erally profitable, and potato bugs, cabbage worms, root maggots, 

 asparagus beetles and rust are the most destructive enemies. All 

 but 6 per cent, of the replies contain the statement that the San Jose 

 scale is now being held in check. The spray giving b&st results is 

 lime-sulphur solution, this being giA^en in all but fiA^e replies, which 

 name scalecide in connection Avith lime-sulphur. TAvelve state that 

 the oil sprays are unsatisfactory, and eight that these materials are in- 

 jurious to the trees, dentalizing them, closing the pores, cracking the 

 bark, killing the bark and killing the tree. 



Spraying for codling moth is becoming common throughout the 

 State, and oA^er three-fourths of the replies indicate that this pest 

 is being successfully controlled by the use of arsenate of lead, Paris 

 green and Pyrox. Only tAvo failures to control codling moth Avith 

 arsenical sprays are reported. 



