STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. IO5 



he had given them a good spraying. He certainly had given 

 them too much spraying, because every plum showed the effects 

 of the spray upon it. It was too strong, or there was some 

 ^difficulty with the spraying. I told him I thought, if he would 

 send his fruit up to the Experiment Station and let them pro- 

 nounce upon it they would tell him next time to be a little more 

 careful in spraying. 



Well, that isn't true alone of fruit growers. After we came 

 home I stopped over Sunday with my son in Massachusetts, and 

 I found that in quite a large section of that village certain 

 kinds of trees had been nearly ruined by spraying. They 

 had sprayed the trees to destroy the caterpillar, and they not 

 only destroyed the caterpillar but they had well nigh destroyed 

 the foliage upon those trees. I felt particularly ashamed in 

 Massachusetts, because somehow I supposed that those men 

 were doing the thing scientifically, as they claim to do most 

 things in Massachusetts; 



Question. What had they sprayed with? 



Answer. I don't know. I didn't investigate. But I noticed 

 the condition of the trees. There was some trouble there. So 

 in following the advice of the Experiment Station, you should be 

 careful to do the work right. 



Today the Pomological Society has made a change of man- 

 agement, or at any rate has elected new officers for its two 

 principal positions, and I wish to congratulate the new officers 

 upon the promotion which has been conferred upon them. I 

 wish to congratulate them also on the grand opportunities for 

 work which they have before them. 



I hope that you may take hold one and all and join with them 

 in carrying forward the work of this society. The profits from 

 fruit growing have not been touched upon here in the State of 

 Maine. You don't know what possibilities there are before 

 you, if you will develop this industry. But it is with you to do 

 it, and you will need to work with all the aids there are. There 

 are several of those. There is the Experiment Station, the Agri- 

 cultural Department, and you have your own society to carry 

 it forward. Then again there is a strong sentiment all through 

 the State and all through the country in favor of incorporating 

 the teaching of agriculture in the schools. And one of the 

 nice things you did today, was to get in the school of Norway. 



