132 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



THE DIVISION OF POMOLOGY. 



Eemarks made by Henry E. Van Deman, Pomologist of the Agricul- 

 tural Department, Washington, during the State Fair Meetings 

 September 11, 1890. 



It is my duty as well as pleasure to see the different sections of 

 the country in regard to the adaptability ot each section to different 

 kinds of fruit. This year, as you know, the great staple fruit article 

 of the country is a flat failure. There will not be raised this season 

 one-tenth of the crop of an average year. There are few sections 

 where the crop is worth mentioning, the best crop being in Northern 

 Missouri. This State (Maine) is the only section of the North- 

 eastern United States which will produce even a fair crop of apples,, 

 therefore 3'cu can pride yourselves that the small and insufficient crop 

 you have raised in Maine is almost the best in the United States, 

 excepting of course that in Missouri, which I have already men- 

 tioned. The cause or the failure of the crop this season was this,, 

 a mild winter followed by an early spring, causing the trees to bud 

 early, then came on the long cold rains that stopped the growth of 

 everything, and caused the trees to blight. 



Here in Northern New England as in other sections of the country^ 

 you escaped part of these effects on account of a more tardy spring 

 season, in consequence of which the buds had not started so much 

 when struck by the long cold rains, as in other more southern parts 

 of the country. In this section you have many things to contend 

 with that those in other parts of the country do not. For instance,, 

 you are much given to setting Russian trees, and Russian apples are 

 of very poor quality. But you can with reasonable industry and 

 intelligence, raise about all the fruit that you need. There is a class 

 of fruits that you can grow a great deal better here than in many sec- 

 tions of the country. I refer to small fruits — the blackberry, goose- 

 berry, raspberry, strawberry, etc. These are well adapted to the 

 climate of Northern New England. No one has a reasonable excuse 

 for not raising all he wants of these berries. There are certain 

 obstacles, too, in the form of insects and plant diseases. The 

 Department of Vegetable Pathology seeks to aid the people in over- 

 coming these, and your own experiment station and agricultural 

 college are working in the same direction. If you do not keep 

 informed in regard to these matters it is your own fault. One thing 



