STATE POMOLOGiCAL SOCIETY. 127 



market, line nice, clean flour barrels with paper, fill the barrels so 

 there will be no empty space, head up and forward to the grocery- 

 man with whom you have had a previous understanding to receive 

 them. Ten to twelve cents a quart, after paying commission, 

 may safely be reckoned on. Ten dollars a barrel, net, is less than 

 the average price for several years past. That this fruit may 

 bring that for some time to come I see no good reason to doubt. 

 But could two dollars a bushel be realized, the result would be 

 more satisfactory than investing money in wild-cat stocks, not to 

 say anything about some so called "savings" institutions. 



REPORT FROM CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 



Harrison, January 20, 187T. 

 Z. A. Gilbert, Esq.: 



Dear Sir: — Your communication of January 1st was duly re- 

 ceived. I am sorry I am no better prepared to furnish you full 

 and accurate information on all the points named in your letter, as 

 my opportunities for observation during the past season have been 

 quite limited, especially in this county. 



The apple crop iuf this immediate vicinity was very small in 

 18*16. This great decrease of product from former years was 

 caused by the depredations of the caterpillars, which for the 

 second time ravaged indiscriminately, defoliating the trees and 

 destroying every germ of fruit; and it is feared by some that the 

 trees have sustained permanent injury, and will, in future, be less 

 healthy and productive than formerly. 



It is a noticeable fact that the caterpillars confine their opera- 

 tions mainly to the elevated localities ; our hills and high ridges 

 being badly infested by them, while orchards located in valleys 

 and low-lying places near ponds and streams, have usually escaped 

 serious damage. I know of some farmers, who, by persistent 

 watching and fighting the enemy have preserved their trees from 

 injury and secured a fair crop of fruit. There is no other cause of 

 want of productiveness in our apple orchards for the past year, 

 except the general lack of cai'e and cultivation in order to promote 

 a regular and constant growth. The instances of handsome, 

 thrifty orchards, which in their appearance tell a good story of 

 the energy and skill of the owner, are exceptional, though it seems 

 that there is a waking up on this subject, and there is evident a 

 spirit of interested inquiry into the best methods of treatment for 



