1897.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. iVd. 53 



REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 



SAMUEL T. MAYNARD. 



The number of varieties of fruits tested during the past 

 season has been greatly increased, and the testing of a large 

 number of varieties of vegfetable seeds has been added to the 

 work. 



A large addition of varieties of apples, Japanese plums, 

 peaches, cherries and the new species of raspberries and 

 blackberries has been made by purchase of young stock, or 

 by budding or grafting into stocks already established. 



Spraying. 



The protection of fruit and garden crops from insects and 

 fungous pests has formed an important part of the work of 

 this division, the results of which again emphasize the fact 

 that orood fruit cannot be g^rown without more or less use of 

 insecticides and fungicides. The most approved apparatus 

 and the new methods of application, as well as the new in- 

 secticides and fungicides, are given a very careful trial as 

 soon after their introduction as possible. 



The insecticides most used are Paris green, kerosene emul- 

 sion, hellebore and pyrethum or insect powder. In the green- 

 houses lemon oil has proved the most valuable substance for 

 keeping down scale and mealy bugs. 



The fungicides most used are cop[)er sulphate solutions, 

 Bordeaux mixture and ammoniacal carbonate of copper. 



Dry Bordeaux ^Mixture. 

 Daring the winter and spring many incjuiries as to the 

 value of the dry Bordeaux mixture and methods of manufact- 

 ure were received, and several parties began its manufacture 

 and put it on the market. Many samples were sent us for 



