4 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



investigation. Their study demands the expert botanist to dis- 

 cover, classify, and learn the life habits of the low forms of 

 plant life that cause the injuries. He must have knowledge to 

 distinguish between fungi that are accidentally present because 

 of the damaged and diseased tissue and those that cause the 

 injury. He must have that intimate knowledge with plant 

 physiology and histology that makes it possible for him readily 

 and surely to distinguish between normal and abnormal growth, 

 between healthy and pathological tissue. In like manner the 

 studies of the insects, friendly and unfriendly, that are present 

 in the orchard demand the trained entomologist. The work in 

 propagation and growth demands the trained biologist. On the 

 one hand the skill and knowledge requisite to the breeder of 

 plants and on the other that of the biometrician who is trained 

 to measure growth accurately. To meet these demands the 

 apple studies at Highmoor Farm are planned by a committee 

 consisting of the director, the biologist and the plant pathologist. 



Results have been already obtained along all these lines. 

 Three bulletins giving the results of the spraying experiments 

 and one on general orchard notes have been published. These 

 results are outlined in another place in this circular. 



The work in orchard management at Highmoor Farm has 

 shown that it is practicable by attention to cultivation, pruning, 

 fertilizing and spraying to take a 25 year old orchard that had 

 been systematically neglected for the greater part of its life and 

 bring it into profitable bearing in three years time. The same 

 treatment is making a healthy orchard of a shallow rooted, fire, 

 mice and borer injured, and seemingly hopeless collection of 

 dwarfed Baldwin apple trees. It has been clearly demonstrated 

 that on the soil of Highmoor Farm, at any rate, cultivation of 

 the -soil is of prime importance and that mulching is not an 

 adequate substitute. Farm manure is giving no better results 

 than is obtained by use of commercial fertilizers. Fertilizer 

 carrying high percentages of nitrogen have given no better 

 results than a well balanced high grade fertilizer such as usually 

 used in growing potatoes in Maine. The value of "tree sur- 

 gery" in increasing the vigor and prolonging the life of apple 

 trees has been clearly demonstrated. Whether on the soil of 

 Highmoor Farm fertilizers pay or are even necessary in growing 

 apples is being told with about 400 bearing trees. 



