Winter Meeting. 265 



this connection Prof. John B. Smith of the Experiment Station of New 

 Jersey made an address on "Up-to-date Methods of Fighting San Jose 

 Scale," which was a very valuable discussion of this important subject. 

 Professor Smith spoke in the highest terms of the distributing com- 

 pany's preparations and compounds, especially of their scale emulsion, 

 which is soluble oil, claimed to be 85 per cent oil. To one gallon of 

 Target Brand scale emulsion use four gallons of water. In the orchard 

 of Mr. Stewart the scale appeared to be very abundant, having gone into 

 winter conditions. Professor Smith recommends fall spraying, and again 

 in the spring, which, if properly done, will destroy the scale. All the 

 orchards in the section have been closely inspected, and where there are 

 insects or disease, the trees are tagged, many of them labeled for removal 

 and burning, while others can be saved by spraying. 



At twelve o'clock we took luncheon on the famous Apple-pie Ridge ; 

 lunch consisted of apple pie, cider, sandwiches and coffee, served at In- 

 wood by Mr. Gray Silvey. In the afternoon we visited some of the large 

 orchards. One in particular belonged to Miss Miller ; and it is said that 

 this family of Miller controls a larger acreage of orchards than any fam- 

 ily in the United States. In one large orchard which had been planted by 

 the late W. S. Miller, the pioneer fruit grower of that section, varieties 

 had been planted that were not adapted to that locality, and much disease 

 existed. The fruit had been gathered from this orchard and the men 

 sent in, who chopped oft" the large limbs or the tree at the point where 

 the heads had formed, leaving a high stump. These tops were burned, 

 then a twenty horse-power traction engine pulled out those trunKs, root 

 and branch ; these were dragged together and burned and the ashes were 

 scattered. When the land had cooled off from the fire, it was broken 

 up, harrowed and disced and planted again to trees of varieties adapted 

 to that locality. All this work was going on at the same time the day 

 we were there. This itself shows the energy and vim these people have. 



They are clearing up thousands of acres of that cheap land and 

 planting to fruit. I saw more people planting fruit trees last November 

 than I ever saw in my whole life planted in the fall of the year ; and it 

 is not to be wondered at, when one hears the aggregate yield per acre 

 and per tree, and fruit every other year, the nearness to markets, the 

 quality and color of the fruit — one wonders, rather, that this had not been 

 seen long ago. 



We of the west must not for a moment think the people of the east 

 are not planting young orchards, nor taking care of their bearing 

 orchards, for they are doing both. The orchardists of the east are also 

 very alert in the matter of eradicating diseases and insects ; if either 

 exists in their orchards they are anxious to know it and want their 



