SECRETARY'S REPORT. 221 



able to move back with the freedom which the tying with chains 

 gives, rather objectionable. 

 The Report was accepted. The next Report presented was 



ON FRUIT CULTURE. 



BY JOHK B. MOORE. 



The Commiftee on Fruit intended to continue the subject of 

 nomenclature, which was so ably commenced under the direc- 

 tion of the former chairman of this Committee, but from the 

 very small crop and unusually poor specimens of fruit the past 

 season, have thought it judicious to omit the continuation of the 

 subject the present year ; and instead thereof will offer a few 

 thoughts upon the present conditions of the apple-orchard and 

 its future crops of fruit ; and also upon the pear, peach, and 

 cherry. 



It is well known to the farmers and fruit-growers in the 

 vicinity of Boston, that it is much more dif3ficult to produce good 

 applet now than formerly, and that the relative proportion of 

 good or number one apples is much smaller at the present time 

 than ten or fifteen years ago. 



This result is mainly owing to the very great increase of 

 insects destructive both to the fruit and foliage of the trees ; the 

 two most destructive to the fruit are the curculio and the cod- 

 ling-worm. These worms, we think, could be checked to some 

 extent by picking up all the fruit falling from the trees every 

 few days, and submiting them to some process that would 

 destroy the larvae of all insects therein. 



The former practice, before thg excitement upon the temper- 

 ance question, was to pick all the little apples, even not much 

 larger than wahiuts, and grind them up for cider. Of course, 

 insects subject to that operation would be destroyed, and the 

 quantity of cider increased, if not improved ; the flavor of it, 

 however, if made from such apples as we have had the last sea- 

 son, would be decidedly meaty ; and some of the drinkers of it, 

 in these days of petroleum, might be excused if they should 

 conclude that they had " struck i7e." 



Now, this gathering of the immature fruit quite often, and 

 grinding it up for the purpose of making cider, or submitting it 

 to any operation that will cause the destruction of the insects 

 contained therein, will of course make the next crop of fruit 



