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They spent two days in the orchards and the included evening in 

 the Hall at Bendersville. When leaving us at McKnightstown, all 

 declared themselves as having had a good time from all points of 

 view. I believe that those of our membership who made the trip 

 were equally repaid. It was good advertising and our business needs 

 that as much as does any other. 



Our apple crop was the usual full year crop. Entire returns are 

 not at hand, but what we have would indicate that the crop was 

 somewhat heavier than that of 1907. Its quality was superior also 

 to- that of the 1907 crop. During May much apprehension was felt 

 for the crop on account of the cold weather, and there is no doubt 

 that there was a considerable injury to the blossoms. On the trip 

 through the county at picking time many trees were observed that 

 bore fruit only on the south and southeast sides, showing very con- 

 clusively that the opposite or stormward side had been injured, 

 the fruit-bearing side having been saved by the protection which 

 the branches and leaves afforded. The apples were very highly 

 colored. The buyer of the bulk of the crop declared they were the 

 handsomest east of the Mississippi. Many of the plantings which 

 have been made since it was discovered that our county was good for 

 apples are now approaching bearing age, so that the returns of the 

 near future are expected to show a large increase of fruit. 



Some of our growers report unexpected outbreaks of scale, 

 which they attribute not so much to the agent used to kill the scale, 

 as to the impossibility of doing a good spraying job in the windy 

 spraying season. These reports come mostly from those who have 

 done most of their spraying in the spring. Spraying for codling 

 moth seemed to be more uniformly successful. Taking it as a whole 

 I think we are making satisfactory progress in the use of spray 

 materials. The remedies themselves seem to be too prominent in the 

 list of orchard charges, but perhaps in the near future with the in- 

 creasing demand that our growing orchards will create, some one 

 may be induced to erect in our midst a plant for the manufacture of 

 spray material. 



We believe that this convention will be better than our former 

 good ones. Our instructors have been selected with the usual care 

 and we expect them to be as good as those of other years, plus the 

 added year. I need not take the time to set out their good points. 

 A glance at the program will be all that is necessary, to excite your 

 attention and interest. After that the various instructors will speak 

 for themselves. 



Dessert follows the meat. After the serious business of the day 

 we offer you a lighter character of pleasurable entertainment for the 

 evenings. A combination of work and play that will leave you at the 

 conclusion of these meetings in a state of satisfaction ; at peace with 

 yourselves and with us. Perhaps if you are not already a member 

 you will have a firm determination to become one at the first oppor- 

 tunity. We expect to greatly increase our membership during this 

 week, and opportunity to join us will be freely given. A pleasant 

 thing about the membership of this Association is, that having once 

 embraced its privileges and duties, members seldom quit. Mem- 

 bership is not expensive, and our meetings are as necessary to our 

 members as is a clearing house to a chain of banks. 



