210 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



culture, for the time is coming soon •when a larger supply of this 

 first-class fruit will be produced here for our own markets. 



Climatic conditions the season past were on the whole favorable 

 to the development of fruit crops, although the rainfall was much 

 smaller than we could wish; the periods of drought, however, 

 were not as long as last year, and many light showers helped to 

 keep the ground in fair condition. The dry season of 1908 had a 

 very bad effect on the fruit trees inasmuch as they did not set fruit 

 buds as heavily as usual, consequently crops as a rule were smaller. 

 This was particularly true in pears the crop of which was seldom 

 so light in Massachusetts. Peaches and plums did not seem to be 

 affected by the dry weather as much as other fruits and the mild 

 winter of 1908 and '09 Avas favorable to them so that crops from 

 these fruits were abundant and of fine quality. The apple crop 

 which was at first reported as being light has turned out to be more 

 abundant and the quality of the best. The season was also favora- 

 ble to the development of the grape ; there were few rose bugs and 

 the mild fall weather was conducive to complete development. 

 Such varieties as Catawba, Diana, and Isabella ripened perfectly. 

 Among the small fruits the strawberry did particularly well; there 

 were no late frosts in the spring to injure the blooms so that the 

 crop was very large. Currants, gooseberries, blackberries, and 

 raspberries also did well. Melons have done particularly well the 

 past two seasons, owing largely to the warm dry weather AA'hich 

 has been unfavorable to the rust. 



Insect pests have been about normal, although the black aphis 

 has been very destructive on the plum, cherry, currant, and goose- 

 berry. This is one of the most difficult of the fruit insects to combat 

 for immediately it begins its work the leaves of the plant attacked 

 roll up and protect the insect from spraying mixtures. As the 

 insect feeds upon the juices sucked from the new growth the damage 

 to the tree or bush is very serious. At present the only effective 

 means of checking this insect seems to be by dipping the ends of the 

 branches affected in a solution of whale-oil soap. 



Gypsy and brown-tail moths have spread over a larger area and 

 in many places are a serious menace to the fruit trees. San Jose 

 scale is also spreading slowly over the state and in many places 

 where this pest is unfamiliar to the people it has gained a strong 



