33 



ill his neighborhood. He becomes, in effect a local exten- 

 sion instructor in fruit growing. 



The orchards are visited each year by increasing num- 

 bers and there is already a marked improvement in orchard 

 practice in the vicinity of several of the orchards. With 

 your permission I will read parts of two letters which came 

 in the other day from owners of demonstration orchards: 

 "A great interest has been taken in the 

 orchard both by farmers in this vicinity 

 and by people from a distance. Several 

 of them have caught the 'orchard fever' 

 by these visits." 

 Another: 



"Ninety nine people came to the house in 

 1917 and asked to be shown over the or- 

 chard. Many others stopped in passing 

 and went in and looked around of their 

 own accord. These we saw only from a 

 distance and have no record of them, but 

 the 'ninety and nine' we looked out for." 

 Incidentally we shall soon have some nice figures on 

 the cost of bringing up an orchard in Massachusetts in the 

 way in which it should go. 



The pruning and spraying demonstrations center a- 

 round the demonstration orchards. In the short season in 

 which the work must be done we are able to reach only a few 

 localities in each county. Arrangements can usually be 

 made, however, with the county agent for a demonstration 

 at any time at any place desired. 



Extension schools take most of our time during the win- 

 ter months. These schools are in session for one week and 

 all phases of farm practice are dealt with. For the work in 

 fruit growing we give a series of seven or eight lectures on 

 various subjects connected with orcharding, such as — "Tho 

 Care of a Young Orchard," "Pruning," and "Insects and 

 Diseases and Their Control." We aim to have at hand a 

 goodly assortment of pruning tools, nozzles, nursery stock 



