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Orchakd Practice. 



Tlie replies to this question are quite interesting, denoting 

 as they do the spreading interest in and application of modern 

 methods of orchard practice. There is still much to be done, 

 however, in educating the growers along this line, for by far 

 the larger number of correspondents reported that nearly all 

 orchards in their vicinity were kept in grass and hay re- 

 moved. It is high time that every fruit grower realized that 

 both a satisfactory crop of fruit and a good hay crop cannot 

 be taken from the same piece of ground, especially when the 

 amount of plant food supplied is in many cases insufficient 

 even for one. A few reported that the grass was cut and 

 used as mulch. Some reported this practice for old orchards 

 and clean culture for new ones. Some reported clean culture 

 in young orchards only, in most instances, and quite a num- 

 ber gave this method as the prevailing one in all orchards in 

 their vicinity, calling attention to the fact that this was the 

 method employed by the growers who produced the best fruit. 

 Some report the growing of strawberries or market-garden 

 crops in orchards as the prevailing practice. The use of 

 legumes, especially crimson clover and vetch, is quite wide- 

 spread, although a number report that they are not used at 

 all. IsTon-leguminous cover crops in more or less general use 

 are rye, buckwheat and oats, used in connection with crimson 

 clover to some extent, while many growers the latter part of 

 the summer simply let the grass and weeds grow in the 

 orchard. 



Insects. 



Several correspondents, replying to this question, called 

 attention to the fact that the damage by insects was very 

 small where proper spraying was practiced. The study and 

 application of this preventive measure would mean many 

 dollars in the pockets of those of our fruit growers who now 

 pay little attention to insect pests until it is too late to pre- 

 vent their ravages. In Berkshire County the tent caterpillar, 

 codling moth and San Jose scale were reported as injurious ; 

 in Franklin, the codling moth, curculio, tent caterpillar and 

 railroad worm were reported in the order named; Hamp- 



