LARGE AREAS DEVOTED TO SPECIAL CROPS. 11 



insects may find the tlirifty root, the vigorous trunk, the succulent 

 twig, the tender bud, the juic-y leiif, tlie fragrant blossom, and the 

 crisp fruit spread out before them in broad array, as if it were a special 

 offering to insect voracity, or a ban(^uet purposely extending an irre- 

 sistible invitation to the tent-caterj)illar, the codling-moth, the canker 

 worm, the striped-borer, the bark-beetle, the twig-borer, the leaf-a))his, 

 the bark-louse, the root-louse and every other of our one hundred and 

 sixty species of apple insects. Here they may luxuriate as nowht-re else. 

 The required food is greatly in excess of insect need. Careful cultiva- 

 tion has made it the best of its kind ; appetite is stimulated ; develop- 

 ment is hastened ; broods are increased in number; individuals are 

 multiplied beyond the conservation of parasitic destruction ; facili- 

 ties of distribution are afforded with hardly a proper exercise of 

 locomotive organs, and when these almost useless members have be- 

 come aborted, as in the wingless females of the bark-louse {Mytilaspis 

 pomicorticis) and the canker-worms (Anisopieryx vernata and A. 

 pometaria), the interlocking branches afford convenient passage from 

 tree to tree. 



In like manner, every crop cultivated on a large scale, holds out 

 strong invitation to insect attack, and wonderfully stimulates insect 

 fecundity. Nowhere in the world are crops massed in so large an 

 acreage as in this country — their extension ever ke-eping pace with 

 the invention of special mechanical contrivances for their gathering, 

 and the extent to which hand-labor and horse-power may be replaced 

 by steam. The following are a few instances of extensive areas devoted 

 to special products : 



The largest apple-orchard in the world is believed to be that of Mr. 

 McKinstry, near Hudson, N. Y. It embraces about 300 acrt^s and con- 

 tains 2G,000 apple-trees. Extending for nearly a mile along the public 

 highway and for one-half a mile in the rear, it appears, when viewed 

 from some favorable point, like a vast sea of orchard. Six miles of 

 road extend through the grounds for access and for carrying away the 

 gathered fruit.* 



The peach orchard of the Orchard Hill Fruit Farm, at Orciuird Hill, 

 Georgia, is believed to be the largest in the world. It contains 54,000 

 peach-trees, and occupies 5-40 acres. The proprietor, Mr. John D. 

 Cunningham, informs me that he will probably plant "^50 additional 

 acres the coming fall, which would then give him 84,000 trees. 



A fruit-grower in California (Mr. G. G. Briggs, of Davisville) has 

 1,010 acres of grape-vines, in four parcels of respectively 120, KJO, 270, 

 •and 4G0 acres. Nearly all are muscats of Alexandria and are culti- 



*Proceedings Westei'ii N. Y. Horticultural Society, at tUh Ann. Meet, in, 1S81, p. 81. 



