THE ORCHARD A RECREATION AND A PROFIT 51 



How easy it is for the farmer to pass by his apple 

 tree before the leaf bud is put out, and thus abandon 

 it to the ravages of the San Jose scale. The spray of 

 the lime sulphur solution before the leaf or bud begins 

 to unfold is a necessary precaution to avoid the depre- 

 dations of this almost universal pest. Then when the 

 bloom comes on the apple or peach tree the farmer is 

 busy with his corn and clover. He cannot take the 

 time to spray against the insect and the fungus. His 

 Bordeaux mixture is un-made or un-sprayed. He has 

 not prepared any lime sulphur with a little arsenic in 

 it to take its place. He has no machine, big or little, 

 for applying the spray. The result is neglect and a har- 

 vest of knotted, insect-stung, incipiently decayed fruit. 



All of this is easily avoided if the spraying is at- 

 tended to in time. The farmer would be surprised to 

 know what a wealth of fruit he could produce from a 

 few well selected trees if he only would attend to them 

 when attention is demanded. The fruit tree is one 

 thing which will not brook neglect. It will not wait 

 on man, nor time, nor tide. It must have its needs 

 supplied when it needs them. 



It cannot fail to be a rare pleasure to the farmer who 

 has properly cared for his tree, to stand by it in Sep- 

 tember when its fruit begins to redden and the glory 

 of the harvest is at its zenith, and gaze upon the well 

 pruned, the well "cultivated tree, with its bending 

 branches of ripening fruit. One such view as this, 

 properly appreciated, more than pays for all the care 

 and trouble given to the tree during its growing season. 



DANGER OF OVER-PRODUCTION. 



That there is some danger of over-production of 

 apples unless the rate of consumption can be increased 



