Winter Meeting. 201 



for cleansing and enriching the land. Old and neglected trees, not too 

 near dead, can be soon brought into bearing and profitable fruiting by 

 cleaning the trees and working around the base of the trees. Moving 

 the earth vigoi-ouslj and applying salt, lime and wood ashes, remove 

 all the old rough bark from the tree, particularly at the surface of the 

 groimd, where may be found piles of insects in their winter quarters 

 and then and there it is easy to destroy them. The insect pest generally 

 in the orchards in the United States is now demanding of the horti- 

 culturist most serious and immediate attention as is well known every 

 where. The orchards are overrun with destructive insects. Some very 

 erroneous opinions are extant doing some injury, namely, that the 

 insects in the orchard are a necessity for the good of the orchard, and 

 that no work by man can be done in the orchard that can benefit the 

 orchard, and very much has been said in favor of planting shrubs 

 instead of planting trees, but common sense says different. 



Man has been plodding along in the same old way with too little 

 progression — too conservative entirely, except perhaps in travel. Man 

 goeth ; yes, he goeth. Just look and think. Examine the locomotive, 

 not vet one hundred vears old, see how it goes whizzing bv, and some 

 times through the orchard, and think about the most necessary and 

 most useful tool of the orchardist — that tool so necessary that even the 

 locomotive could not exist or be needed but for the plow — the 

 <i>arth mover, so conservative that even now in old Egypt their best plow 

 is a forked stick just like they used 3,000 years ago — too conservative 

 except for orchard work in the United States, in Missouri, A. D., 1899. 

 It is time spraying has been commenced. Very little earnest, progres- 

 sive earth moving has yet been done, but let us hope in the morning 

 twilight now so near — yes, the morning light of the twentieth century 

 is upon us — that man will take a mighty step forward. Woman will 

 come to man's help as never before. Darkness and ignorance must be 

 relegated to rear seats, especially in orchard, field and garden work. 

 Will great progress be achieved because man will occupy higher grounds 

 in higher callings. 



Higher aims, higher motives, higher plans must be employed by 

 progressive horticulturists. Better fruit is the leading object and more 



