THlRTEnXTH ANNUAL MEETING. 135 



Mr. Eddy: If that blight starts in the .greenhouse, the profit 

 is gone. I have l-»een successful up to the last two years, but 

 since then the melon crop has been an entire failure. 



Question 5. What caused the aphis to be so abundant last 

 season, and what is the best way to combat them? 



President Gulley : Several wrote to me. I told them they 

 could use tobacco, but b}' the time the letter reached them the 

 aphis had disappeared. They go by streaks somewhat. It is 

 hard to tell when they are going to come or when they are 

 going to leave. 



Prof. Britton : We have them every year to some extent, 

 so far as my observation goes. There were a good many 

 eggs around the buds on the apples ; there are few this year, I 

 notice. 



Mr. Platt : If we find some on the opening buds, find half 

 a dozen clustered in there, feeding on the very first growth, 

 would it be an indication that we must go to spraying right 

 there and then? 



Prof. Britton: If they were abundant early in the spring, 

 it might be worth while to spray early in the season with soap 

 and water. I have looked in certain localities where they were 

 plentiful last season, and have not found them. I have 

 examined for them around New Haven. 



Question 2. How low should apple trees be headed ? 



Mr. Hoy't: I should head not lower than four feet. But if 

 the people would like them lower — say, two feet high — I should 

 like to grow that kind of tree. We could grow more to the 

 acre. 



Vice Pres. Hubbard : Perhaps this covers more than the 

 starting of the tree. How low should the head be kept during 

 the bearing years ? 



Question : Can we prevent the ravages of the apple maggot 

 by spraying? 



Prof. Britton : We think that sj^raying does very little good. 

 It W'Ould do no good unless it acted as a repellent to hinder the 

 flies from laying their eggs on the fruit. It may prove that 

 spraying the trees may drive them ofif, and I think, as a rule, 

 the sprayed apples are not quite as bad as the unsprayed ones. 



Question 4. From present knowledge, what is the future 

 outlook for Jai)an ])lums? 



