REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON FRUITS. 201 



Insects of many kinds were more numerous than last year and 

 one explanation of this which seems reasonable is, that owing to 

 the lack of rain the eggs of the insects were not washed off the 

 foliage, so that where generally one-half to three-quarters of the 

 eggs are destroyed in this way, our conditions were such that nearly 

 seven-eighths of the eggs laid were hatched. 



We have never had such an outbreak of the various aphides 

 known as plant lice, and the tender growing shoots of all kinds of 

 fruit trees and bushes were fairly alive with them. No sooner was 

 one crop destroyed than another took its place. 



Fortunately for the grape the rose bugs did not appear as num- 

 erous as last year, consequently grape clusters were well filled out. 



The gj'psy moth did not work as disastrously as last year and its 

 ravages seem to be more or less confined to certain areas, while on 

 the other hand the late summer damage done by the brown-tail 

 moth was very widespread; we were unfortunate in having high 

 winds at the time these moths were hatching, consequently large 

 areas are now infested with them, a future menace to the shade and 

 fruit trees of the state. 



The codling moth and railroad worm are both factors in the 

 poor quality of the apple crop; while curculio and peach borers 

 damaged the plum and peach. 



Spraying is now more universally practised, but owing to the 

 lack of knowledge on the part of property owners much of this 

 work is fruitless. 



In spite of all unfavorable conditions the exliibitions for the year 

 were well filled with good fruit. This can probably be explained 

 by the fact that many of our exhibitors are amateur growers and 

 give their trees, bushes, and vines exceptional care so that the 

 weather conditions do not affect their crops as seriously as they do 

 when the cultivation is a more or less haphazard affair. No other 

 department of horticulture shows the result of care and attention 

 so surely as the fruit crop and we can consider ourselves most 

 fortunate in having about us men who are making an avocation of 

 fruit culture. We very much need, too, men who will devote more 

 of their time to the hybridization of fruit and the originating of 

 new varieties; for while we have many fine fruits now these are as 

 capable of improvement as were the varieties of fifty years ago. 



