SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 131 



weather had turned cold. When we came to start our work 

 the next morning we found the pumps gave us some trouble ; 

 there seemed to be a heavy scum or something, much like axle 

 grease, in the pumps, that had settled on the iron work. I 

 would like to know what caused this. 



Prof. Jarvis: This peculiar trouble of clogging up I 

 noticed at the Ives farm. I attributed the cause to the fact 

 that he had been using the tanks for spraying Bordeaux mix- 

 ture; I don't know but perhaps Mr. Henry had been doing the 

 same. Bordeaux mixture acts very slowly in an oil prepara- 

 tion, but if it is left long enough you will notice a stickiness. 

 It would be well to clean the tanks if this causes trouble. Per- 

 sonally I have never had any such difficulty. 



AIr. Ives : Some of the spraying was done in freezing 

 weather. I don't know whether that had anything to do with 

 the trouble or not. 



Question No. 14 : Theorists are recommending the plant- 

 ing of dwarf apples. What say the practical men? 



Prof. Hedrick : The New York Experiment Station 

 has four orchards of three acres each; we have about 150 va- 

 rieties of dwarf apples. The trees arc from one to eight years 

 old. Up to the present time we have not found the claim of 

 those advocating the merits of the trees true in our experi- 

 mental orchards. They do not come into bearing early ; the 

 fruit is no handsomer, and they are not easily cared for ; they 

 require much more training and considerable work is neces- 

 sary about the roots to keep down suckers, and in general 

 they require more care. I regret to see the horticultural papers 

 and some agricultural papers and some speakers recommend 

 the planting of dwarf trees, without a better knowledge in re- 

 lation to them. About forty years ago they were planted ex- 

 tensively in the western part of New York State, and I have 

 visited these orchards and learn that they are not now, and 

 never have been, commercially successful. I would like to 

 know if in Connecticut you have succeeded better than we have 

 in our experimental orchards in New York. 



President Putnam : I know a man who placed an order 

 for 10,000 of these trees. His friends got him to cut down 



