FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 65 



time. I am a sort of a crank on spra_\ing-. Frc^m \\^\^ own 

 experience I have learned that it is simply a question of spray- 

 ings or g-ettino^ nothing at all. If you do not sprav. the codling 

 moth is very apt to get the best of you. T know it is so in 

 our section, and I dare say it is just as bad here, or is becoming 

 just as troublesome a pest. If we do not spray our apples 

 we really do not have any apples. By spraying in time, and 

 spraying often, and thoroughly saturating the interior 

 branches and twigs, so that no spot or surface of the growing 

 apples escapes being touched with some of the mixture and 

 poison for the codling moth and other insect pests, then we 

 are pretty sure to get some good fruit. Experience has amply 

 proven that apples may be grown that wall be ninety per cent, 

 free from codling- moth b}' persistent spraving. and this from 

 trees that without the spray would produce no first-class fruit. 

 In our orchards our Xorthern Spy trees never produced a 

 barrel of saleable apples until after we commenced to spray, 

 and by thoroughlv spraying we can grow them absolutely 

 perfect. I believe, and in fact I know, with the market condi- 

 tions as they are and the value of good apples the way it has 

 been in recent years, if we took the utmost pains to offer only 

 the best fruit for sale, I believe that the effect would be that 

 the apples would be worth just about double what they bring 

 in the market. I know that the price w^ould be increased if 

 everybody would spray, provided, of course, there was a 

 market that would take all the apples that we could produce 

 of that quality. But there is no use talking about it, every- 

 body ought to understand nowadays that it would increase 

 the value of his orchard pretty nearly double if he would 

 spray his trees, and spray so as to get the best result of that 

 spraying. Personally, I am satisfied that a higher colored 

 and a better keeping apple can be produced on sod ground 

 if the conditions are right, than on cultivated land, and the 

 labor required is very much less. I want to qualify that state- 

 ment in this manner. T believe in this climate and in this 

 latitude we should do all we can to cultivate our young 

 orchards so as to bring them into a bearing age just as soon 

 as possible. Life is. short, and I do not believe any of us 

 want to wait anv longer than is necessarv before our trees 



