5th February, A.D. 1891. 



ESSAY 



BY 



S. T. MAYNARD, 



Professor of Horticulture in Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College, Amherst. 



Theme: — The Use of Insecticides in Fruit Orchards. 



[The local report was so imperfect that application was made to Professor 

 Mayuard for leave to use the copy published by the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society, engaged like ourselves in the laudable attempt to find out the 

 truth; and equally desirous of its widest dissemination. His courteous reply 

 will provide an apt preface to the essay. — E. W. L.] 



Amherst, Mass., Feb. 16th, 1891. 

 E. W. Lincoln, Esq., 



My Dear Sir : 

 My talk before your Society was very similar to that before 

 the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I spoke in Worcester 

 on some other insects and diseases than in Boston ; for instance 

 the Peach yellows and borer, or the apple borer, the currant 

 worm, etc., but the matter other than these exceptions was 

 substantially the same, and you are at liberty to make such 

 notes as you choose from the copy. I enjoyed my visit to your 

 Society, and hope the subject discussed will be taken hold of by 

 your practical fruit growers in such a way as to settle the 

 matter of the practical and economical use of insecticides and 

 fungicides. One great difficulty with our fruit growers is that 

 they do not make careful records of their work when experi- 

 menting, and it takes a long time for them to get at the truth 

 of such matters. We hope to have a series of experiments 

 made in different parts of the State under one general plan the 

 coming season, and have the results reported next fall. 



Very truly yours, 



S. T. MAYNARD. 



At this season of the year fruit growers, market gardeners 

 and farmers are making their plans for the work of the coming 



