494 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Insect pests and fungus diseases were unusually troublesome 

 during the past jear, but our people have advanced in their know- 

 ledge and are better able to control them than ever before. The 

 State Department has kept a large force of experts at work in the 

 different counties of the State, giving spraying demonstrations, 

 while the owners of proprietary mixtures have also had their agents 

 out among the farmers instructing them and assisting them in their 

 work. Nurserymen as a rule have complied with th<^ terms of the 

 fumigation laAv. The trees sent out have been carefully fumigated, 

 and being clean when planted will be much more easily kept clean 

 than unfumigated stock. Taken altogether, 1 think our orchards 

 are in much better condition to-day than they Avere this time last 

 year. 



But a careful examination of the fruit on the table before us will 

 bring to light the fact that we still have much to lea^n. That fine 

 collection, which represents the best product of many of our most 

 careful growers — shows on many specimens the marks of San Jo&6 

 Scale, and sooty spot fungus. Our scientific men will do well to 

 study that fruit carefully. We have done the best we can with our 

 present knowledge. We ask your aid in discovering more positive 

 remedies for these troubles. One of the most promising events of 

 the year was the passage of the Adams Bill by Congress, this bill 

 practically doubles the appropriation for Experimental Stations by 

 the IJ. S. Government. This will allow our station to diver- 

 sify its work, to start a series of horticultural experiments 

 that will be of great service to the fruit growers of 

 the State. We were all glad to learn that the Trustees 

 of State College had secured the servic( s of Dr. Thomas 

 F. Hunt, of Cornell, as Director of the Experiment Station 

 and Dean of ihe School of Agriculture. He comes to his new posi- 

 tion fully impressed with the importance of the fruit industry in 

 Pennsylvania, and admirably equipped for the work. I ask for Dr. 

 Hunt, the hearty support and co-operation of every member of this 

 society. 



The new German tariff law provides a maximum duty of |1.65 per 

 bbl. on apples, and a proportionately high rate on dried apples, for all 

 countries that do not comply with certain conditions before July 1st. 

 A bill has passed the House and is now before the Senate which does 

 not provide for such a treaty of commerce as would secure for us 

 the minimum duty of 50 cents per bbl. Unless this bill is so amended 

 as to comply with the requirements of the German Government be- 

 fore July 1, 1907, we will have to pay the maximum duty of |1.G5 per 

 bbl. and would simply be prohibition. This may seem a small matter 

 to some of us who always sell our fruit in a near local market, but 

 we must remember that large commercial orchards of York Imperial 

 apples have recently been plant(^d in certain sections of this State. 

 That York Impei'ial apples sell at a higher rate in tlie German mar- 

 kets than in any other foreign country, consequently if we loose the 

 German market we loose the best foreign market for Pennsylvania 

 apples. I would suggest that the Legislative Committee take up this 

 matter and prepare proper resolutions to be presented before the 

 close of this meeting. 



To the delegates from other societies who are with us, I extend on 

 behalf of the society a most cordial welcome, we are glad to have 



