l68 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



actedi from that point. We regard that as a very hopeful 

 sign, and if we make that the central point of the, apple busi- 

 ness in Winchester by increasing our cold storage capacity 

 and inducing the buyers to make that their headquarters, and 

 induce the growers to come there and sell their goods, we 

 think we are going to get railroad facilities much more than 

 we have had before. The great market for us is the south, they 

 want the fruit we grow, and the Norfolk and Western 

 railroad which runs directly south, passes within nine miles 

 of Winchester, and there is some talk of making a connection 

 over there by trolley or steam branch, connecting with the 

 Norfolk and Western. A few years ago we got the Penn- 

 sylvania railroad into Winchester, also we have the Baltimore 

 and Ohio, and there is some talk now of getting the Southern 

 railroad, one of the chief branches of which runs within about 

 eighteen miles of us, and we are hoping very much when this 

 is done we can get the attention we deserve. 



Without in any way boasting, I really believe that the 

 meadow section or lower part of the Shenandoah Valley is 

 attracting more attention to-day in the way of apple culture 

 and apple growing than any other one place east of the Rocky 

 Mountains. 



We have some serious trouble, as was brought out here 

 yesterday. The warm, muggy days of August are apt to 

 bring us severe attacks of bitter rot. Some years ago it 

 seemed as though bitter rot would exterminate our orchards, 

 but the government came to our rescue and established a 

 station down in Albemarle county, and Professor Scott and 

 others whom you are familiar with, spent two or three days 

 in work down there, and finally discovered a method of 

 treatment for bitter rot, so we are not now seriously troubled. 



In that same connection about four years ago, the gov- 

 ernment established what in effect was an experiment station 

 in our own orchard. They have fifteen acres of orchard of 

 my own, composed of York Imperials, Ben Davis, and the 

 Yellow Newtown, and they are trying all sorts of experi- 

 ments in spraying, cultivation and fertilization, and we have 



