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As to the Adams county crops this year, it might be said, that 

 though it was what we call the off years it was about equal to the 

 best previous full year crop. Whether the young trees now be- 

 ginning to bear will drop into the apparently established habit of 

 the old ones, or whether we shall cease to have an off year, will be 

 interesting to note. Perhaps wdien we regularly thin the apples, 

 regular annual cropping will be the rule. 



Spraying is now generally practiced by the Adams county 

 growers. To spray to kill the scale or to insure against its danger- 

 ous occurrence is now accepted as good orchard practice. While, 

 heretofore spraying has been directed against scale to keep the tree 

 alive, it will hereafter be particularly dircted to the object of per- 

 fecting the crop. The problem will be to keep the foliage in per- 

 fect condition, to prevent scab, blight, rust and rot, to pro- 

 tect the foliage and fruit from the attacks of vermin that chew. 

 We are already able to get good arsenicals and let us hope that 

 National legislation will shortly insure their quality. Let us hope 

 that some formula of lime and sulphur will give to the orchardist 

 a cheap and perfect summer spray. 



The difficulties in the marketing of the year's apple crop keep 

 us alive to the need of package legislation. Let us urge National 

 enactment and let us hold firmly to the old-fashioned idea of mak- 

 ing a measure a full measure ; a bushel nam.ed, a bushel in fact. 

 Doubtlesi the western grower will cling to the notion that a bushel 

 box must be regulated by the size of western apples, and the soon 

 to be exploded idea that boxed apples are only grown in the West. 

 If no National law is enacted in the near future, the eastern states 

 are certain to pass statutes regulating packages which will no doubt 

 be difficult for the western grower to meet with the short boxes in 

 vogue there. I hope that the Appalachian growers, as suggested 

 by recent organizations in Virginia and New York will not attempt 

 legislation until harmony prevails throughout the East. With the 

 program filled by men from all sections of the East, we should 

 know before the close of this convention something of eastern senti- 

 ment. 



The Adams county growers welcome you to their sixth con- 

 vention. 



Left Box Too Flat, Middle Just Right, Right Too High. 

 (Courtesy of "Better Fruit.") 



