Winter Meeting. 125 



preceded and followed prevented proper fertilization. The hail in many 

 sections of the country bruised those that were left, and hard spots re- 

 sulted. Rain continued through the warmer months, and prevented 

 spraying for codling moth, hence many wormy apples. Scab formed 

 abundantly, old insects flourished, many new ones appeared, and we were 

 unable to prevent their depredations. Under such conditions a perfect 

 apple was almost an impossibility, and many orchards furnished not a 

 barrel for Eastern or foreign markets, or even cold storage. Our credit 

 balances disappeared, and if we got enough out of our poor stock for our 

 ov/n families, we were glad it was no w^orse. 



This is a dark picture say you, and too pessimistic for one of my 

 temperament. What of 1004? Is there no promise for the future? I 

 think so. The copious rains of the past season kept our trees growing, 

 and could they have had a proper amount of sunshine the growth would 

 have been phenomenal. The crab grass grew close around our trees, 

 for we could not use the hoe, and this kept the borer moth away. Those, 

 therefore, who thoroughly rid the trees of the borer last year had an 

 easy job this fall. 



Wliiie the past season gave us, in many portions of the State, though 

 not in all, no good fruit and not much of any kind, it was good fffir the 

 recovery of injured trees. Trees set out in "97 and '98 are old enough 

 for a crop next year. If all trees old enough did not set fruit buds 

 in last July and August, what in the world did they do? They did little 

 or nothing else in my section. True, some of them shed their leaves 

 rather prematurely, but I hope no permanent injury to the tree is pres- 

 aged thereby. Possibly it is our fault. And here I am tempted to vent- 

 ure the opinion that if we w'ill all apply more lime dust either with 

 or without poisons, to our trees from the time the leaves first appear 

 till they fully mature, the leaves wdll be more healthy, more persistent, 

 and our trees will do better. It is becoming known that dry poisons burn 

 and debilitate the leaves much less than wet poisons ; and "the good 

 we all may do" by a more liberal use of lime dust upon the tree and lime 

 in any form on the ground under the tree, is by no means determined. 

 When our dust spray men devise an easy, cheap and ready method of 

 reducing the ingredients of their dust to an impalpable powder, and at 

 the same time thoroughly mixing them, they will not only revolutionize the 

 whole spray business, but they w'ill come very near furnishing a specific 

 for all the ills our orchards are heir to, wdien it is thoroughly and fre- 

 quently applied. 



Do you ask about the season for 1904? The kind of season we may 

 reasonably expect would interest us all, I am sure. I wish I could tell you 



