PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 221 



Failure of Apples this Year. 



Mr. H. P. Smith, Westfield, Mass., spoke of the general failure 

 of tlie apple crop this year, and asked if members had observed 

 that ijrofiiso blossoming does not always indicate profuse bearing. 

 In my section, while all other sorts fail, there is a fair crop of 

 Baldwins. Can any one tell why? 



Dr. Sylvester, Lyons, Wayne county, N. Y. — I account for it in 

 the different time of blossoming. I think the blast was occasioned 

 by the northeast storm, which with ns blasted a great portion of 

 all sorts but Baldwin and English Russets. 



Mr. Solon liobinson. — That theory won't hold good, because 

 the time of the storm in difierent sections would not correspond 

 with the time of blossoming of the several sorts. 



Mr. H. P. Smith. — That is true as regards our section, where 

 Ehode Island Greening and Baldwins bloomed at the same time, 

 and were subject to the same influences, yet we have a fair crop 

 of Baldwins and no Greenings. 



Mr. E. Williams, Montclair, N. J. — I have observed the same 

 results where I live. The causes of failure I have never been 

 able to account for satisfactorily. I sometimes think that the 

 more we try, the less we know. I think I have oljserved one 

 thing so long that I do know it, and that is, that profuse blossom- 

 ing is never followed by a large crop of fruit. 



Mr. Wm. A. Elvins, Hainmonton, N. J. — We have one man in 

 our settlement who grows good apples every year by keeping up 

 an unceasing warfare with curculio and codling-moth. He jars 

 the curculio from his trees and kills them. He gathers and 

 destroys all the early falling fruit that contains worms, and keeps 

 his trees free from borers, and in every way possible destroys 

 insects, which are the principal cause of fruit failures. 



jMr. R. G. Pardee — For gardens and g^'owers of fruit on a small 

 scale, it is perhaps feasible to undertake to destroy all the insect 

 enemies. In my opinion it is better to use fertilizers which are 

 not conducive to the health of such insects. I am satislied that 

 all soils may be purified by the use of the salt and lime mixture 

 so often recommended, which is made by saturating water with 

 salt and using the brine to slake lime, which l)eing exposed to the 

 atmosphere in a dry place effloresces into a light powder, in which 

 condition it should be applied. 



Dr. Snodgrass — That is simply chloride of lime. Those who 



