62 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



of its borders. They allow nothino^ to go out of the state of 

 Idaho except No. i fruit. That is prett}^ stringent legislation. 

 It is a good deal more than the people allow in the State of 

 Maine, where some are now criticising our law, yet growers 

 in th.e West tell me that within two years they found it had 

 been the greatest blessing they could possibly have had. and 

 that the price of Xo. i apples improved so much that they were 

 realizing more for their selected crop than they were getting 

 before for the whole. The great bulk of the No. 2 and lower 

 grades were being fed out to the hogs or destroyed and profits 

 are being multiplied. 



Now we don't propose any such legislation in New England, 

 but towards that we are going to be forced — forced becau.se of 

 the conditions which confront us — forced because of the com- 

 petition we are to meet — forced by the quality of apples which 

 are coming into New England all the while from western states, 

 where the conditions are so rigid and exacting that only the 

 choicest quality of fruit can be grown, and because the orchards 

 are multiplying rapidly. Do you not see that if we are to hold 

 our own the standard of appearance and quality of our fruit 

 upon the market must approach that from the West, for then 

 we can hold our own and lead in the market as we have in the 

 past. I believe, friends, that we can do this. I believe th.is is 

 possible for us, every one. and also that we must adopt this 

 matter of thorough spraying as an absolute necessity. 



Another factor to be considered is the power of resistance on 

 the part of an .i^pple which has been carefully and thoroughly 

 grown. I do not stand here to suggest that we can grow a 

 resistant apple. Yet it is towards this that the study and inves- 

 tigation of our scientists of today are being directed. We know 

 that some varieties and individual trees are more resistant than 

 others to the insect pests as well as the fungous diseases, and 

 this suggests a line of study. The care of the orchard lies 

 along this line. The study of this question of resistance will 

 perfect our trees and strengthen them, because it comes in this 

 way, through the vitality of the tree we shall find that resist- 

 ance to disease may be made certain, we all tlie time helping, 

 as is necessary, by the use of outside applications. 



Then comes the humane handling of the fruit. As I have 

 been going about I have seen apples picked from trees and piled 



