No. 7. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 193 



10. DEMONSTRATION TRAINS. 



One new feature of the work for this year was the establishment 

 of Demonstration Trains in connection with the railroad service 

 of the State, showing methods of pruning and spraying trees that 

 were infested with San Jos^ Scale. The railroad companies saw the 

 importance of this and co-operated readily to the extent of sending 

 a special train, with engineer, fireman, conductor, brakeman and care- 

 taker, and also lighting and heating the same, and running it to a 

 schedule arranged by us in co-operation with railroad management, 

 and thus doing all that was possible on their part to aid in this 

 important work. This was done entirely free of charge and resulted 

 in most important, extensive and practical service. 



The Cumberland Valley Railroad was the first over which the 

 Orchard Demonstration Train was run. The management of this 

 road deserves credit for the readiness with which it accepted our 

 proposition for the establishment of such a train. We furnished 

 apparatus for pruning and spraying, chemicals, and, in fact, full 

 equipment, as well as two speakers and two laborers who were with 

 the train from December 15, 1908, until January 28, 1909. Stops 

 were made at the most important points on the Cumberland Valley 

 -within the State of Pennsylvania, and at intervals of about ten 

 miles throughout the system, reaching all its branches. Records 

 were kept of the attendance which amounted to about three thousand 

 persons, several of whom came from other counties and other states 

 to witness the work of pruning and spraying the trees to insure 

 their preservation. Farmers drove many miles and others came 

 long distances by train or trolley. At one meeting at Greencastle 

 four different states were represented by advanced fruit growers 

 who were present and who studied our methods and stayed to attend 

 both the forenoon and afternoon sessions as well as the evening 

 meeting, notwithstanding melting snow^ and drizzling rain. We 

 believe that nothing ever has been done in Pennsylvania that has 

 been more efficient in awakening an interest in the proper care of 

 orchards, than this plan of a Demonstration Train, and we, there- 

 fore, arranged with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to run such 

 a train over its line in the spring of 1909. A report of this will be 

 given in our Annual Report for next year. 



11. EXPERIMENTS. 



It is necessary for this office to perform some experiments in 

 order to be in touch Avith the latest developments imthe methods of 

 suppressing pests or preventing loss by insects and plant diseases. 

 During the past year these experiments were chiefly in the form of 

 spraying with various kinds of insecticides and fungicides for potato 

 beetles and potato blight, and also spraying with various materials 

 and at various dates for San Jos(? Scale. Some experiments were 

 conducted for cabbage root worms and some for other pests, while 

 a liltle attention was incidentally given to tree planting and methods 

 of invigorating declining trees. Results on these will be published 

 in our Monthly Bulletins. 



12. INVESTIGATIONS. 



Certain lines of original investigations were taken up and some 

 were completed and others are continued. Among these are inves- 



13—7—1908. 



