306 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULiTUlRiE 



on and some comparison is offered as to the results and interest in them. 

 The general orchard and fruit fertilization project created more interest 

 among the fruit growers than the combined activities of all other lines 

 of extension work in fruit growing. The results from the experiments 

 and the large number of demonstrations put on in connection with them 

 proved unsound. The splendid co-operation of the county agents in 

 placing the demonstrations and in getting a few records and a large 

 amount of observation from them, reinforced by the records from the 

 Experiment Station was the dominating factor in creating interest. 

 From these results, the use of commercial fertilizers has narrowed down 

 to the application of nitrogen, either in the form of nitrate of soda 

 or sulphate of ammonia, with a very large percentage being used in the 

 form of sulphate of ammonia. The demands for information along these 

 lines before the growing season commenced was constant and by May 1st 

 the supply of all available nearby nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 

 was exhausted. Much more w^ould have been used if it could have been 

 gotten in time. A few reports of county agents are included showing 

 these results. 



Pruning: There has always been more or less interest in this prac- 

 tice and we are fortunate today in having a standard system of pruning 

 generally adopted throughout the country. Kesearch work throws some 

 light on the problem, and this phase of the work was emphasized in 

 field and lecture meetings. The general practice of over-pruning young 

 apple trees which has been followed was headed off, recommending a 

 light system of pruning and more fertilization as an economic practice. 



Spraying demonstrations were put on in relation to spraying and 

 the necessity of thorough spray practice was most strongly emphasized. 

 Knowing that this is the one strong connecting link between success 

 and failure in orcharding, no opportunity was lost at any lecture or 

 field meeting to drive home the necessity of this important practice, 

 giving the latest up-to-date recommendations from the Experiment Station. 

 The writer is convinced that a very large percentage of the failures 

 in controlling destructive insects and diseases is due to the carelessness 

 and lack of doing rather than to a lack of knowledge. Many interesting 

 meetings were held where spraying experiments were being carried on 

 in which the standard sprays were being compared with some newer 

 practices. The standard sprays, as recommended, demonstrated their 

 value in the perfect control of the disease or insect for which they were 

 applied. In most instances, where losses do occur it is not a question 

 of demonstrating, spending a large amount of time putting on spraying 

 /demonstrations, but it is rather a question of hammering in what the 

 'growers already know. In the case of some insect, hard to control, 

 proving destructive in some new area, then it is advisable to put on 

 thorough spraying demonstrations as in the case of the grape berry 

 moth control in Van Buren County vineyards. 



The demands for assistance at Extension Schools and other organiza- 

 tion meetings were far in excess of the number that could be cared for 

 even though other members of the staff in the Horticultural Depart- 

 ment assisted in doing Extension work, attending both lecture and field 

 meetings during the summer. The attendance, etc., is not included in 



