No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 517 



places. This was followed by drouth extending, with but slight 

 rain, over two, three and even four months. This influenced the 

 setting- and subsequent growth of many fruits and with their proper 

 and seasonable spraying, being offset in part, to be sure, by dry 

 clear weather at picking time. 



APPLES. 



The year 1908 seems to have been decidedly an off year for ap- 

 ples in Pennsylvania, only five persons out of a hundred reporting 

 a good crop and these so scattered as to indicate local and not in any 

 sense county or sectional conditions. A few reported a fair crop, 

 especially in the northern counties. A slightly greater number re- 

 ported good quality, but even in this particular a majority of the 

 reports showed poor quaility and accounted for it by bad weather 

 at spraying time and the subsequent dry season, 



Pennsylvania has a long list of very good summer apples. Red 

 Astrachan is the most favored by our correspondents, some per- 

 sons, however, have found it a poor bearer. Yellow Transparent 

 comes next with votes from all sections of the State, followed close- 

 ly by Early Harvest. Others favored are Sweet Bough, Golden 

 Sweet and Summer Strawberry. The chairman would add Early 

 Ripe as an excellent and very useful cooking apple. 



Next comes a list of the late summer and early fall varieties; 

 Maiden Blush having the greatest number of votes, then Duchess 

 for the north and Summer Rambo for the south, then Gravenstino, 

 Wealthy and Porter. 



Smokehouse is the great favorite of the later autumn kinds, fol- 

 lowed by Fall Pippin and Twenty-Ounce. Baldwin is named as a 

 fall apple in the southern counties. 



Every home with sufficient ground should have at least one or 

 two trees for each of these seasons and many persons have found 

 the growing of summer and fall apples very profitable. If asked to 

 make a list for a home orchard, of twelve trees to cover these sea- 

 sons, we should probably name as follows: one Yellow Transparent, 

 one Early Harvest, one Red Astrachan, one Porter, two Summer 

 Rambo, one Maiden Blush, one Wealthy, one Fall Pippin and three 

 Smokehouse. 



A large majority of our correspondents prefer the barrel as an 

 apple package but a surprisingly large number report that they have 

 found it profitable to market their best fruit in bushel boxes. Seven- 

 teen persons report good home markets and recommend the use 

 of baskets and bushel crates. Half bushel and bushel round stave 

 baskets with covers are commonly used for shipping summer apples. 



Under the present indifferent care in spraying, etc., which many 

 of our orchards receive, the handling of second grade and cull apples 

 is a very important matter. Their proper disposal often settling 

 the question of profit or loss. In the first place it is very important 

 to provide boxes or crates to receive them from the sorting table 

 to avoid unneccessary handling. Most of our correspondents use 

 their culls for cider or sell them to the cannery, evaporator, or for 

 bulk shipment. We are glad to report that only one man recom- 

 mends barrelling second grade apples and we wish to make an ur- 

 gent protest against the practice as most hnrniful to the trade in 

 better fruit. Dispose of your seconds at home or ship them in bulk, 

 or better still produce no culls and by thorough spraying, good 

 culture and hand thinning produce only first-class fruit. 



