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prenticeship stage than men of mediocre ability who have nothing better 

 in prospect. A young man who in the course of the next ten years is 

 hkely to be occupying a S5,000 to $10,000 position is much more valuable 

 for this work than an older man who would be satisfied to take a short- 

 term appointment at $150 a month. The younger men look on this work 

 as an opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge of field conditions and 

 methods and are therefore willing to spend the summer season for two 

 or three years in this way since it is a part of their training and of direct 

 advantage to them in their life work. Furthermore, thay have an incen- 

 tive to do their best, since if they make good as field assistants they have 

 a better chance to obtain a good position on receiving the advanced degree; 

 and, moreover, they do not receive a sufficient salary to make them wish 

 to settle down in the work permanently as field assistants. 



In western New York, particularly, where the control of apple scab 

 is of the utmost importance, the weather is the vital factor in determining 

 the time at which most sprays must be applied. In this region the work 

 of the field assistants was greatly facilitated by the co-operation of the 

 United States Weather Bureau. A special forecaster was detailed to the 

 Rochester office from April 6 to July 10. Arrangements were made 

 whereby he received from Washington twice daily a special long range 

 forecast, covering the conditions most needed by the service. These 

 forecasts were often modified by the special forecaster. At least one of 

 these forecasts as modified by the forecaster was sent daily to each of the 

 Farm Bureau offices where a special assistant was stationed. A striking 

 illustration of the practical value of these forecasts occurred on May 12, 

 when the forecast indicated that a rain was probable in three or four days. 

 Scab infections had already occurred in considerable numbers in orchards 

 that had not received the delayed dormant spray. A spray warning was 

 issued calling for the application of the blossom pink spray immediately 

 although the blossoms did not yet show pink. The rain began in the 

 afternoon of May 16. Subsequent events showed that this was the critical 

 application for the commercial control of apple scab in western New York 

 this season. In orchards where the application was delayed until after 

 the rain of May 16, 17, the leaves became badly infected with scab and a 

 serious defoliation resulted. Furthermore, in these orchards it was very 

 difficult to keep the fruit free from later infections. Had the special fore- 

 cast of the Weather Bureau not been available, most of the growers would 

 have waited until the 19th or 20th before making the application, when 

 it was too late to protect the foliage. 



During the past season the six assistants we had in the field traveled an 

 aggregate of 34,343 miles, making 3,017 visits, and issued 66 circular 

 letters with a total circulation of 18,207. It is very difficult to estimate 

 the financial return to the growers of the counties concerned, but there is 

 every reason to believe that the increased value of the crops directly 

 resulting from the work would pay several times over the entire cost of 

 the undertaking, including supervision and overhead. 



