NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 9 



tage. This great decline in apple growing, or the explana- 

 tion for the decline may not be discussed here but to me 

 it is significant. In my opinion, it is the man who reno- 

 vates and particularly cares for his old orchards, and the 

 man who plants new ones, that is going to win out by get- 

 ting ahead, because he can see the situation as it really is. 

 This explains in a few words, I think, the condition of our 

 apple industry. ^Ye are not planting as many apple trees 

 as formerly, and fruit growers are not keeping up their 

 old orchards. Our population is increasing, and these fig- 

 ures which I have quoted show that the production of apples 

 is actually declining, while the number of consumers is in- 

 creasing. The population of the country has, of course, 

 increased considerably during that period. It would seem, 

 therefore, gentlemen, that in Connecticut and in this coun- 

 try, there was a splendid opportunity for fruit growing, and 

 I think there is no better place in the whole country for 

 going' into that industry than right here in New England. 

 We certainly are near some of the very best markets in the 

 world. The Pomological Society is, of course, the organi- 

 zation to promote the fruit industry in this state. Quite 

 recently it has made a request of the Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Stations and the Agricultural College that they con- 

 duct some extension work, or rather some demonstration 

 work in Connecticut with that end in view, and particularly 

 along the line of the renovation of old orchards ; to take or- 

 chards here and there, to handle them according to the 

 best methods, and thus to show what could be done with 

 them. Now this request, in the first place, came to the 

 New Haven Experiment Station and to the Storrs Sta- 

 tion, and to the Agricultural College. It was very soon 

 found that there might be some conflict if we should 

 all go into it together, and there might be a duplication 

 of work, and so Dr. Jenkins and Professor Clinton had 

 a conference, and I want to read the result of our delib- 

 erations : 



