Vermont State Horticultural Society 17 



we are not slipping back, but the fact of our not having sprayed 

 as much for the apple scab, the insects have made greater 

 progress than we are aware of. The gentleman from Isle La 

 Motte is right in urging the importance of more spraying and 

 I hope the farmers will take the matter up. 



F. E. FOOTE, ADDISON COUNTY. 



Addison County brings greetings to the State Horticultural 

 Society convened. We believe that it is the best organization 

 in existence to-day and will do the greatest amount of good 

 to the horticultural interests of our state. Our Society is yet 

 but in its infancy, with bright prospects for the future. We 

 have had the opportunuity of putting into practice the lessons 

 that we have learned in the past gatherings ; and are here to-day 

 to get new ideas for further development in the line of horticul- 

 ture, which is one of the nicest branches of agriculture and an 

 industry which I thoroughly believe will be in the near future 

 one of the greatest sources of revenue to the farmer. We have 

 the soil and the climate to grow fruit that can be excelled by 

 no other place in the world. We have the knowledge and the 

 enterprise to compete with any class of people. Are we to shut 

 our eyes against this important industry? I will answer No. 

 Vermont never has taken a back seat in anything that we under- 

 took to do. All things being considered, so long as we are rais- 

 ing the nicest fruit that the city market affords to-day, we are 

 going to keep right on in this line ; only we are going to try 

 and beat ourselves in the future in the things that we have done 

 in the past. Addison County this year alone has shipped in 

 round numbers 45,000 barrels of apples, which have netted the 

 farmers $120,000, an amount which I believe in the next ten 

 years will be doubled. 



The prevailing high prices the last autumn have given a new 

 impetus to the fruit grower, and next spring we shall see him 

 planting new trees, pruning his old orchards and caring for them 

 as never before. 



We are told that history repeats itself; so do the high prices 

 of apples often prevail, as four years ago apples were even 

 higher than this past year. The average price paid the farmer 

 for his apples for the last five years has been about $2 per bar- 

 rel for No. I apples of good varieties. Now, figuring on the 

 basis of what one of our Grand Isle County speakers told us 



