72 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [11:2— Feb, 1915 



The quality of his apples is the same on the top, bottom or middle 

 of the barrel, and the merchant who buys No. I's from Mr. Irwin 

 is sure that all will be No. I's. With many unscrupulous 

 packers the middle layer is of an inferior quality, and some have 

 even gone so far as to place a tube of "culls" through the center 

 and to have larger apples packed around this. This is to satisfy 

 the doubting merchant who may take off a stave to test the 

 quality of the middle layer. But no merchant need doubt Mr. 

 Irwin's word, for they all know that the grade printed on the barrel 

 will not belie the contents, and for this reason he can demand 

 prices that the others cannot. 



To me, the care of the orchard in the early spring is most inter- 

 esting. The trees are sprayed seven times a year; once before 

 the leaves come, once after they are off, and five times during 

 their growth. But the first spraying is the most important because 

 this is done while the > trees are in blossom. Large tanks of the 

 poisonous spraying fluids, each containing 120 gallons are used 

 for this purpose. Each tank is operated by three men; one who 

 stands on top where he can reach the tops of the trees, and the 

 other two walk one on each side where they can spray the lower 

 branches as the tank is drawn between the rows of the trees. 

 Great care must be taken to spray every apple, for only in this way 

 can wormy apples be prevented. Mr. Irwin uses from two to 

 five gallons of the fluid to each tree, and I might add that a worm 

 in one of his apples is a rare sight indeed. 



After our most thorough tour of the whole place, and after we 

 had eaten the lunch which we had brought along with us, we re- 

 turned home every one of us a wiser boy or girl as far as the apple 

 question is concerned, and we were all greatly benefited by having 

 had such a splendid chance to meet and study a man with so great 

 a personality as Mr. Leaton Irwin. 



Elizabeth Bert. 



