182 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



All young orchards should be carefully watched for the various insects 

 and fungi that are sure to begin operations in them within a few years. 

 In the case of the borer, which attacks the tree near the surface of the 

 ground, I know of no better practice than that of mounding up late in the 

 fall and leaving the mound there until about June 15 following. By 

 this time the beetle has probably finished laying her eggs, when, by 

 removing the mound and rubbing the bark clean, we displace the eggs 

 or young larvae and prevent all damage. 



Jn the case of insects that attack the fruit or foliage, as well as the 

 various fungi, we must rely on sprajing with the various insecticides or 

 fungicides. 



Why, when, and how to do this can best be learned by securing the 

 Annual Keports of this society or the bulletins on this subject that are 

 sent out free from the agricultural experiment station at Lansing; but re- 

 member that success in this operation requires thoroughness and an early 

 start. Verily, here, "A stitch in time saves nine." Never wait until 

 you are whipped before you begin to fight. 



Implements. — The implements of culture best adapted to orchard work 

 are the plow, for earliest work, to be followed by the light gang-plow if 

 needed, then the spring-tooth or disc harrow, and finally the new-style 

 one-horse spring weeder, with which one horse easily goes over twenty- 

 five acres of orchard per day. This tool will not destroy weeds that are 

 well started, but if used on land already in good shape will prevent 

 weeds starting if used frequently enough. During the past season I 

 went over my peach orchards three times per week, for six weeks during 

 the terrible drouth, and the result was marvelous. I firmly believe that 

 one man and a horse with this tool earned me |10 per day every day of 

 those six weeks. 



The next important implement is a first-class spray pump. Successful 

 orchard work can not be done without one any more. Keep it in order 

 and don't hesitate to use it when the right time comes. 



In conclusion permit me to ask if you have what is known as "a lucky 

 man" in your neighborhood? If so, have you watched his methods? If 

 not, do so carefully and see if his "luck" is not the result of plans carefully 

 laid and executed. Such a thing as luck does not cut much of a figure 

 in fruitgrowing. Fine crops of fruit and high prices do not come by 

 chance. It does not just happen so. It is the natural result of any well 

 and correctly conducted business. 



The man who starts fruitgrowing spasmodically will not be likely to 

 succeed, as it is a business requiring patience as well as skill, but the 

 man who enters into it with weH-laid plans and a determination to suc- 

 ceed is sure to make some money and find it a source of much pleasure. 



