N PREFACE 



y 



This book is intended to meet the needs of schools and departments 

 of vocational agriculture. Since these agencies are concerned pri- 

 marily with the practical phases of fruit growing, it follows that this 

 book, if it achieves its purpose, should also be useful to those who are 

 actually engaged in growing fruit. 



The activities are arranged on the seasonal basis, beginning with 

 the harvesting of the crop, since this is the job that faces the grower 

 at the time students take up their work in the fall. Each enterprise 

 is broken down into its various operations just about as such opera- 

 tions would present themselves for consideration in practice. The 

 community studies at the end of the chapters should tie the instruc- 

 tion into the practices of the local area. 



It is not necessary to begin at the front of the book and follow it 

 page by page to the final chapter. In some sections of the country 

 the culture of grapes, the harvesting of peaches, or the installation of 

 a stationary spray plant may not be matters of commercial signifi- 

 cance. The parts of the book dealing with such subjects are complete 

 in themselves and may be omitted outright without detriment to the 

 subjects that are of importance in any state or section. 



It has not seemed worth while to include a detailed treatment of 

 the life histories of the various insects and diseases of fruit. Such a 

 treatment would require a book in itself. The student has been re- 

 ferred to his local experimental station and college of agriculture for 

 information concerning the insects and diseases of importance in his 

 community. Emphasis in this book has been placed rather on the 

 mechanics of the use and application of materials for control, including 

 a full discussion of machinery. 



Likewise, information concerning varieties and variety descriptions 

 is available from so many authoritative sources that it has not been 

 included here, other than to enumerate the varieties of commercial 

 importance in the various fruit-growing sections. 



The Authors and Editors 



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