STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 71 



pears have paid me a better profit than apples, and they would have 

 paid far better if they had all been dwarf trees of the right sorts. 

 All we lack is skilled labor, and those that have a taste for the 

 business, to give our State as gODi a reputation for its pears as we 

 now have for our apples. 



A man whose taste is all horse, and spends half of his time in the 

 stores and on the street corners talking about him, will not succeed 

 in cultivating thera in Maine, or anywhere else. The horse is a 

 noble animal, and merits a high position in our industrial pur&^uits, 

 but is it not a questiou worthy of the consideration of those who 

 have the matter in charge, whether they are not giving him vastly 

 more than he merits, to the expense and neglect of our other indus- 

 tries, considering all the demoralizing influences there are in connec- 

 tion with it? But this is no time and place to discuss the horse 

 question. I have already wearied your patience too long. In con- 

 elusion, will say that I feel altogether out of place in trying to write 

 and read papers before these professors, and this intelligent audience, 

 for I was trained and educated to use the hoe, and not a pen. I 

 trust that when our honorable secretary makes up his programme 

 another year, he will employ an expert at the business, and not one 

 who has to go to the dictionary as often as I do. 



EXPERIMENTS IN SPRAYING. 

 By Prof. W. M. Munson, State College, Orono. 



The number of the insect and fungous enemies of the fruitgrower, 

 and the magnitude of the damage caused by their attacks are suffi- 

 cient reasons for considering certain methods of treatment at this 

 time. While there are fluctuations in the severity of attack, it is 

 patent to all that something must be done, or Maine will lose the 

 proud position she holds as one of the finest apple states in the 

 Union. 



In Massachusetts, New York, and farther west, orchardists are 

 fully alive to the importance of combatting these pests, and the 

 practice of spraying with fungicides and insecticides is common. It 

 is not to be supposed tha,t conditions of soil or climate would render 

 the work done in other parts of the country of no value as suggest- 

 ing the proper course to pursue in our own State, but it has been 



