158 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



make inspectious of their orehaids, and in many cases where I have 

 gone to make inspections the owners have dropped their other work 

 and have gone with me through their orchards, and seemed to be 

 anxious to learn all they could upon the subject, both as to the 

 extent their orchards were aliected and the methods to be used to 

 eradicate the i)ests. 



I am thoroughly satisfied that the work of the Department has 

 awakened a great interest among the farmers and fruit growers in 

 my district in this important matter, and it would be a very serious 

 mistake and would result in great loss if the work was to be dropped 

 at this stage of its development. Further inspection and instruc- 

 tion will be necessary to demonstrate fully to the people the danger 

 to their orchards from the spreading of the pests which infest them, 

 especially the San Jos^ Scale, and what is necessary to be done and 

 what can be done to protect them. The work should also be con- 

 tinued for the reason that there has not, as yet, been suificient time 

 for the results of our past work to show fully. This is especially 

 true where the work has been doone on trees w^hich were going into 

 a decline; the new growth has not yet had time to show itself fully, 

 and even on trees which were still apparently healthy, the results 

 of the spraying and pruning cannot be fully appreciated from one 

 year's growth. From my observation I would most emphatically 

 say this work should be continued, and I sincerely hope the Legisla- 

 ture at its next session will make a liberal appropriation to carry 

 on the work; it will be money well spent and will bring as large 

 and beneficial return as any money expended by the State. 



In my district in the orchards where spraying has been done I 

 find the spreading of the San Jos^ Scale has been decidedly checked, 

 but the hot, dry weather of the past summer has resulted in a much 

 larger number of the young Scale surviving, and a consequent 

 spreading of the pest. 1 find that there is no doubt but that it is 

 spreading to a very considerable extent all over the district, and 

 unless steps are promptly taken to prevent it, will ultimately 

 destroy most if not all the fruit trees in the district. 



In Juniata county I have no demonstration orchard, but have 

 given a number of demonstrations in orchards owned by idividuals, 

 which were well attended, and great interest was shown in the work. 

 At these meetings there were not only practical demonstrations of 

 the spraying of the trees, but also instructions as to how to prepare 

 the material for spraying and the proper method of applying it, 

 and instructions on pruning trees, and fertilizing the orchards. I 

 find that the people who were present at these meetings have been 

 making use of the instruction thus received, and have been instruct- 

 ing their neighbors and friends along the same lines. 



In Mifflin county there is a demonstration orchard at the County 

 Poor Farm, where .several demonstrations of spraying were made 

 which were woll attended, and great interest was shown by those 

 present. I feel that the work done at this orchard has been of great 

 benefit in getting the farmers and fruit growers interested in this 

 work. 



In Huntingdon county the farmers and fruit growers do not seem 

 to have taken as much interest in the work until recently as in the 

 other two counties, but since they have seen the results of the work 

 done on the demonstration orchards they are becoming more in- 

 terested and will eventually, I believe, become as deeply interested 



