STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 55 



One trial of dormant strength lime-sulphur after the leaves 

 began to unfold caused injury to both the young leaves and 

 flower buds, but apparently the fruit crop was not lessened. 

 However, the latter showed an abnormal amount of russeting. 



A suspension of very fine sulphur flour showed considerable 

 fungicidal value, but its use is probably not practicable for the 

 commercial orchardist. 



Copper-lime-sulphur produced as serious foliage and fruit 

 injury as did Bordeaux mixture. 



Two proprietary spraying compounds tested gave good con- 

 trol of scab, but one of them caused serious leaf injury and 

 defoliation. 



PROBLEMS OF A COMMERCIAL APPLE GROWER. 



S. W. Fletcher, Fisherville, Va. 

 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



If you will look at the program you will notice that my sub- 

 ject is problems of a commercial apple grower. That means 

 it is personal. If I had come to you fifteen years ago to talk 

 on this subject, when I was just out of college, I have no doubt 

 that I could have told you collectively and individually just 

 how you ought to do to raise apples, without even visiting 

 your farm. But I have travelled since then, been up against 

 the rough edges of practical work in endeavoring to make a 

 farm pay, and I know now, as doubtless you know, that these 

 problems are personal and individual. All I shall attempt to 

 do is to tell you how I have met these problems on my farm ; 

 possibly my experience may have some application to yours. 



Cost of Production. The biggest problem in apple growing, 

 as I see it, is to keep down the cost of production. The days 

 when apples brought five dollars a barrel, as average return, 

 are gone, never to return. Every fruit has passed through boom 

 days and periods of depression. It was so with the orange, the 

 prune, and the grapefruit ; it has been so with the apple. A 

 few years ago, between 1908 and 1912, everybody was getting 

 $3 or $4 a barrel for apples. Now most of us are satisfied if 

 we net $2.50; at least, in the wholesale apple country where I 

 am located. Some years, like this one, we get more. We have 



