548 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



So long as birds fly, winds blow and insects crawl, reinfestation is 

 only a matter of time, unless all trees, shrubs and plants are so thor- 

 oughly treated that all the lice are destroyed. Thorough work will 

 accomplish this and with the lime-sulphur-salt, but very few aim at 

 thoroughness, while the majority do nothing until the scale and tree 

 die together. 



As to the use of so-called commercial fertilizers, would say I de- 

 pend on them altogether, in connection with crimson clover. 



The fertilizer used, consisting of 300 pounds muriate potash, 400 

 pounds rock phosphate and 300 pounds steamed bone, is for healthy, 

 thrifty trees. Where growth is deficient more nitrogen must be used. 

 For orchard work I regard nitrate of soda too soluable. Tankage is 

 preferred, except where peaches or plums show a lack and promise 

 a heavy yield. 



A bearing tree should be fed for bud and fruit production, there- 

 fore judgment should be used in the application of too highly nitro- 

 genous fertilizers. I think I must drop the crimson clover for a 

 year or more in my peach orchards. The trees make too much wood. 

 Sometimes as much as five feet. This is entirely too much. 



For potatoes and small fruits I prefer the potash in the form of 

 sulphate of potash. 



Had the finest potato crop I ever raised. Eight acres of Carmen 

 No. 3 made 2,000 bushels and nearly all marketable, a few too small 

 and some too big. 



Relative to saving the plums from rot when it rained almost con- 

 stantly, would say that by keeping foliage, bark and fruit as much as 

 possible covered with Bordeaux carries the crop through to maturity. 

 This applies only to the domestica. for the Japan will not stand full 

 strength Bordeaux. I mean the foliage, for it is as susceptible as 

 the peach foliage. 



The plum skin is smooth and sheds the Bordeaux at every rain, but 

 this is not so material, for if the spores on foliage and bark are killed 

 rot can be controlled. I might add though that this is not true of all 

 plums. The Lombard will rot. spite of all I could do. The Gages are 

 hard to mature. 



I think this is a good time to plant all kinds of fruit trees, if the 

 planter will observe a few things. First the adaptation of his land 

 for fruit; second the selection of good varieties adapted to his lo- 

 cality; third, sufficient knowledge of the wants of trees as to culti- 

 vation and feeding; and lastly pluck to fight the fungous and insect 

 foes that infest fruit trees and the fruit. 



P. S. FENSTERMAKER, Lehigh Co.— I do not believe there are a 

 half dozen persons in this county who understand the care of fruit 

 trees in all its details. In the southern or southeast portion of our 

 county there have been for ten or more years many many acres of 

 fruit put out, principally peaches, and for a time large quantities of 

 fine fruit was profitably grown, but since the necessity of spraying 

 has become apparent, and of which they have very little knowledge 

 and still less experience, there has been less interest of late shown 

 in this branch. This is a very busy manufacturing section and can- 

 not but prove to be a very profitable field for an up to date fruit 

 grower and trucker. Thousands of dollars worth of fruit and truck 

 are brought here in car loads, most of which could be grown right 



