198 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ing and other purposes, such as cutting fodder, sawing wood, pumping water, grinding 

 feed, etc. I have a horse and a half gasoHne engine that I have used for these purposes 

 for the last two or three years which has given good satisfaction. The greatest trouble 

 with it is there is too much iron in it. It weighs 300 pounds and could as well be made 

 lighter. A new type of engine is now being made and a 3-horse engine can now be had 

 which only weighs 160 pounds — such as are in use on twine binders. 



Mr. Hamilton said that for hilly ground he has a wagon with axles 18 inches longer than 

 usual which makes it much safer where using a derrick. 



The Society met at the U. S. Government Entomological Laboratory August 10, 1910 

 and after viewing the work in progress there adjourned to pieet in village hall. Much 

 interest was taken in the work being done by Messrs. Braucher and Hammar who were in 

 charge. 



At the adjourned meeting Mr. Hammar extended a cordial invitation to all who were 

 interested to visit what is known as the "bug house". He expressed his pleasure because 

 of the appointment of the meeting at the laboratory as it gave those in charge an op- 

 portunity to become acquainted with the people. He said their work is to find out if 

 possible the troubles of the fruit growers and to find a remedy if possible. 



Prof. W. A. Taylor, Assistant Pomologist of the Department of Agriculture at Washing- 

 ton was present and expressed his pleasure at being able to attend the meeting. He said* 

 he could well remember when quite small attending a meeting of this Society at the little 

 old brown school house on the town line and other meetings of the organization, and 

 thought that the success in fruit growing in this section is largely due to the work of the 

 Saugatuck and Ganges Pomological Society. He said: "Since coming to this vicinity I 

 have seen the rise and decline of a great peach industry. Some of the decline is due to 

 natural causes and climatic conditions and possibly some of it to our lack of knowledge 

 in selecting varieties, care of the trees and fertilizing of the land. One thing that is neces- 

 sary now is the fertilizing of the soil, the proper feeding of the trees. To successfully 

 grow fruit we need good and early cultivation, just as early in the season as the land will 

 permit, and clear through the season until a cover crop is sown. I have thought we have 

 sometimes given too much credit to spraying and not enough to fertilizing. I have known 

 orchards in some sections to be kept up with commercial fertilizers and cover crops. I 

 have a preference for farm manure, especially in light soils. In the matter of spraying, 

 this should be done at the right time. Four or five days difference sometimes makes a 

 great difference in the profitableness of the orchard. 



From an extended observation over a large number of fruit sections I am sure this sec- 

 tion possesses many more advantages and less disadvantages than any other that I have 

 known. I very much doubt if any other section has sent out as large a proportion as 

 western Allegan county. With the exception of possibly one place Fennville shipped the 

 largest amount of good fruit last year of any place east of the Rocky Mountains. 



In speaking of varieties. Prof. Taylor said this is largely an experimental work. Of 

 those that have been in bearing several years, among apples Red June this year is of good 

 size. Some years it has been sold as a crab apple. The Jefferson, just ripening, is larger 

 than the Red June. F'or fall varieties the Garfield promises to be a good market apple. 

 The McMahon promises to be of commercial value here. It follows the Dutchess about 

 as Wealthy does. One question in the minds of fruit growers is the relative value of the 

 summer and winter varieties. It seems to me that we cannot afford to be without either, 

 and we want both the early and late flowering varieties as we are more sure in this way of 

 getting some apples every season. The cjuestion of apple growing being overdone was of 

 more interest twenty-five years ago than now. It seems to me that at no time has the 

 outlook been brighter for the West Michigan fruit growers than now. 



Prof. A. G. Hammer spoke on the insect pests of the fruit grower. He exhibited a 

 number of different kinds of these, some of which he said were pedigree bugs. Among 

 the exhibits was the codling moth in its four stages of egg, larva, pupa and moth. In 

 speaking of the latter insect he said the worm leaves the fruit in the fall and seeks a hiding 

 place where it passes the winter in the pupal state. In the spring, about the time the 

 trees are ready to blossom, the moth appears and after feeding a while lays its eggs. The 

 egg hatches within a week or two and the worms are on hand about the time the trees are 

 in blossom. It takes a very short time, less than a day, for the worms to enter the fruit. 

 The young apple has a very fuzzy covering and the worms enter the calyx. The time in 

 which we can reach the coddling moth with a poison so as to do effective work is very 

 short. 



Continuing, Prof. Hammar, spoke of the habits and work of the curculio. The study 

 of this insect is his special work at present. He finds it is doing much greater damage 

 than most of us have thought. Much of the damage, especially of the peach, that has been 

 attributed to 4he cold weather is done by the curculio. From some trees which he has 



