428 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of eradicating it everywhere, for I saw hundreds of apple, pear 

 and other trees dying and dead with the San Jose scale. Bush- 

 els of fruit were observed on trees also showing the unmistakable 

 red spots which denote its presence, even when seen at some dis- 

 tance. Old neglected orchards, a fruit tree here and there, wild 

 crab trees, plum thickets, and especially land held for speculation 

 planted to fruit trees and subsequently neglected, are all partic- 

 ular sources of infection, and the cause of its continued pres- 

 ence. One good move is the forbidding of the sale of infested 

 fruit, and as soon as any of this undesirable material is exposed 

 for sale, and observed by inspectors or deputies, it is destroyed — 

 or "kerosened" — and thus made unfit for use. 



A nursery inspector may visit a nursery once a year, or may 

 cause a nurseryman to tremble in his boots twiqe or three times, 

 there evidently being no set time for his visits. The greatest 

 cause of fear, however, on the part of the nurseryman is that he 

 will have too much stock and too few customers for the same. 



The apple and prune orchards were, at the time of this visit, 

 loaded with fruit. Growers there have planted too many Italian 

 prunes, and the tendency for some time has been to work into 

 other fruits. Bartlett pears and plums and prunes going to waste 

 under trees is not an uncommon sight. 



But if the apples and prunes of western Oregon delighted 

 our eyes, what shall we say of the beautifully colored fruit of the 

 Wenatchee Valley, in eastern Washington. The train sped thru 

 an irrigated heaven for the fruit grower, and the Wenatchee Val- 

 ley melon, as we can testify by personal experience, needs no sugar 

 and should be eaten in a bathtub. What adds to the interest of it 

 all is the fact that away up on the hills above the Columbia River, 

 on the plateau which stretches north toward British Columbia, 

 the finest kind of peaches and other fruits are raised without ir- 

 rigation. 



Question. — "Should apple trees be sprayed before they 

 bloom ?" 



Prof. Hansen : No, it kills the bees and reduces the crop 

 of fruit. 



Question, — "Will it do any harm to plow around apple trees 

 late in the fall if the trees are protected so they will not be injur- 

 ed?" 



Prof Hansen : The trouble in plowing too late, especially 

 in sod, is that it is apt to cause a second growth. It is better not 

 to cultivate or break up the sod in an orchard in the fall. 



