TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 31 



Report on Demonstration Orchard Work 

 in Connecticut. 



Prof. Jarvjs: Ladies and gentlemen: The Secretary 

 gave me ten minutes in which to present this first report on 

 Orchard Demonstration Work in Connecticut. I think I 

 can read this in seven minutes. 



For the henefit of those who ma}- not be famihar with 

 the undertaking I should say a few words with regard to the 

 origin of the movement. Realizing the presence of many 

 neglected and unprofitable apple orchards in Connecticut and 

 realizing the possibility of improving many of them and plac- 

 ing them on a profitable basis, the executive committee of 

 the Society called upon the college to cooperate with them in 

 a campaign for improved methods in orcharding. The Presi- 

 dent of the College volunteered to finance the work and of- 

 fered the services of the writer. The Society seemed well 

 satisfied with such an arrangement. After further discus- 

 sion it was decided that we should select two or three neglect- 

 ed orchards in different parts of the state and to ask the 

 owners to handle them as suggested by the College representa- 

 tive. The owner of the orchard should be asked to bear the 

 whole expense except the traveling expenses of the College 

 representative, and to allow his neighbors and others to visit 

 the orchard and witness the various operations. 



These plans were carried out to the extent that two or- 

 chards were selected, one at Cheshire and one at Pomfret. 

 and the program for the first year was carried out in each 

 of them. Two orchard meetings were held at each place, 

 and notices sent out to as many addresses in the neighbor- 

 hood as we could obtain. The first meeting in each place was 

 for the purpose of demonstrating the methods of pruning a 

 neglected orchard, and the second one was for demonstrating 

 the methods of spraying, tilling and fertilizing. These meet- 

 ings were well attended, averaging at least fifty people at 

 each meeting. 



