MIDDLETOIVN INSTITUTE 137 



year were the Connecticut-grown peaches, and Mr. Stern- 

 berg advised young farmers to go into this industry and 

 raise the very best. The markets were never glutted with 

 fruit of finest quality, and there were always openings for 

 young men who would give fruit-growing their best efforts. 

 Horticulture is keeping the young men on the farm, and 

 they are the future hope of our state. 



President Hale emphasized the point that we should feel 

 that our state is the state, of all others, to grow fruit in ; 

 that we should believe in ourselves, in our soil, and in its 

 great possibilities for fruit production, if properly handled. 



George F. Piatt, of Milford, spoke on "The Successful 

 Cultivation of the Peach," in place of J. Norris Barnes, who 

 was absent. He said that the great object in peach culture 

 was to produce fine fruit that would pay a profit.. He spoke 

 of the poor outlook for a crop this year, of the peculiarity of 

 buds being killed in certain localities in one season, and of 

 their escaping in equally severe weather another season. 



To make the buds more hardy, he suggested the sowing 

 of oats early in the fall to check the growth ; also the idea 

 of spraying the trees with some gummy mixture to protect 

 them from cold, after the manner of horse-chestnut buds, 

 which are by nature so coated with a gummy substance. 



The peach scab in Mr. Piatt's orchard last season, he 

 said had resulted in rotting and cracking of the fruit to the 

 extent of three-fourths of the whole crop. He thought that 

 Bordeaux spraying would be only partially successful. In 

 the south spraying was thought to be of some use, but he 

 thought that in a favorable season the scab was sure to ap- 

 pear, even after spraying. Champion was very susceptible 

 to that disease ; Fox Seedling also suffers badly with it. 

 To succeed in peach growing a man must have energy, per- 

 severance and a knowledge of the yellows ; he must have 

 faith that this section of the country is the very best for 

 fruit growing, and faith in our markets also. 



Mr. Piatt was asked if he considered it worth while to 

 spray for the peach rot. He thought that the Bordeaux 

 would injure the foliage. 



President Hale also said that in his orchards the Bor- 

 deaux had not given good results ; it burned the leaves 



