No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 271 



perimenting, testing and improving. These investigations must con- 

 tinue. While it is important that demonstrations of known pre- 

 ventions be made, it is much more important that studies concern- 

 ing causes be pushed vigorously and continuously. Our correspond- 

 ence shows that there is a large demand for information along the 

 line of crop protection. The members of this Board can do a great 

 service by assisting to create public sentiment in favor of proi)er 

 legislation for inspection, quarantine, and provision of funds for in- 

 vestigation. 



EEPORT OF POMOLOGIST 



By CHESTER J. TYSON 



Another year has gone by since our last report. For the past 

 month or two, various organizations of apple growers have been 

 holding their annual meetings. In looking over the programs of 

 these meetings, one is impressed with the fact that more and more 

 attention is being paid to the business end of apple growing. This 

 does not mean that all the problems of production have been solved; 

 but it does point to tlie fact that the difficulty of selling the abundant 

 crop already produced is in nearly every mind. 



The year 1914 has been a hard year for apple growers. There have 

 been occasional hard years in the past, and there may be many more 

 of them in store for us. There is one encouraging side to such lean 

 years. They may discourage some people from planting trees who 

 have been carried away by the glamour given the business by some 

 magazines and a few, so-called, farm papers. Taken as a whole, 

 Pennsylvania had nearly double as many apples as in 1913. The 

 crop was very well distributed and very few real crop failures have 

 been heard from. The latter half of the season was severely dry in 

 most sections, and this fact, coupled with over-full trees, has re- 

 sulted in smaller than average fruit. Serious damage from hail 

 has been reported in several places, and serves to remind us that 

 after we have done everything we can to produce good fruit, we are 

 still subject to the whims of Nature. 



Among the serious orchard pests of which we hear most this year, 

 are green and rosy apple aphis, canker worms, sooty blotch and pear 

 blight, particularly that form affecting the trunk, near the crown. 

 Marketing conditions, except for early fruit, have not been right. 



The usual apple buyers were noticeably absent during the Fall, 

 and very much more than usual of the apple crop went into storage, 

 owned by the grower. Two causes entered into this condition ; many 

 buyers were fearful of the future, and those who would have bought, 

 found that the banks were not willing to back them. Market con- 

 ditions picked up somewhat in December and large stocks of apples 

 were moved then, but the holiday season was dull and conditions 



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