ANNUAL REPORT. 



239 



devotes much attention, is the fattening" of lambs for the 

 hig-h-class market, and in this business he is one of the 

 few in New England wdio has attained success. 



During the noon hour the company gathered for a 

 basket lunch in the beautiful shady meadow adjacent to 

 the Lyman homestead. Following this President Rogers 

 of the Society called the company to order, and a short 

 while was spent in listening to brief speeches by some of 

 the prominent fruit men present. 



Of course, the host, Mr. Lyman, was first called on. 

 He gave all a hearty welcome and said he was proud to 

 have so many guests. ]\Ir. Lyman explained his farm 

 operations and told of his failures as well as his successes. 

 "We all make mistakes sometimes in our farming," said 

 Mr. Lyman, "and we learn as much from them as from our 

 successes." He referred to the splendid outlook for the 

 peach crop, and said that the treatment of the orchard 

 must vary from year to year, according to the conditions 

 of the season. 



Brown rot is the peach grower's worst enemy. He 

 will try to evade this by thorough spraying to offset the 

 bad weather that often comes at harvest time. He will 

 spray several times, using the lime-sulphur solution, 

 which, however, is still in the experimental stage as a sum- 

 mer spray. The San Jose Scale is not feared any longer 

 by the grower who sprays thoroughly during the dormant 

 season. The spraying given just before the leaf buds open 

 in spring has been found to control the peach leaf curl. 



Mr. Lyman said that up to a few years ago hay and 

 mutton were his leading crops, and peaches only a side 

 issue. Now, with over four hundred acres devoted to 

 orchards, peaches are his main crop. Asked how he ac- 

 counted for the good set of fruit on his apple trees this 

 year, when other orchards were showing but a partial 

 crop. Mr. Lyman said his trees had been well fed. and 

 plenty of fruit buds was the result. 



Mr. J. H. Hale was the next speaker, and. as usual, 



