FRUIT REPORTS. 
163 
berland, Morgan Favorite and Gandy. Black Raspberries— Egyptian, Palmer, 
Kansas, Onondaga, Cumberland, Gregg. Red Raspberries — Worthy, Miller, 
Loudon and Cuthbert. Yellow Raspberries — Caroline and Golden Queen. 
Blackberries— Lucretia, Snyder, Minnewaska and Erie. Gooseberries — Smith, 
Downing and Columbus. — Currants — Wilder, Pay, Victoria and White Grape. 
Grapes — Green Mountain**, Worden*, Niagara*, Delaware*, Concord**, 
Brighton**. 
4. Cultivation— Peach and plum orchards are generally very thoroughly 
cultivated from early spring until about the middle of August, while apples 
and pears are mostly in sod when in bearing; strawberries, potatoes and corn 
are the hoed crops most generally grown in young orchards, but many of 
our best cultivators are now more inclined to give young trees full use 
of the land from the start. 
5. Cover Crops— Natural weeds and grasses that come up freely after 
summer cultivation is ended; cow peas and crimson clover and in occasional 
instances oats or rye. • 
6. Fertilizers — Decomposed stable manure is most largely used for small 
fruits and top dressing for apple orchards; leached and unleached ashes and 
muriate of potash. Peach and plum orchards are all liberally fertilized with 
fine ground bone 800 to 1,200 pounds per acre annually and from 400 to 600 
pounds of muriate of potash. 
8. Insects and Diseases — Canker worm, easily controlled by spraying 
twice, early, with one-half pound Paris green to fifty gallons of water. They 
are nearly extinct. Codling moth yields to same treatment. Apple maggot 
may be on the increase as there is no satisfactory treatment for it. Apple 
scab and sooty fungus of the apple skin are believed to be under the control 
of Bordeaux mixture. Peach scab, or sooty spots on side of peach, is preva- 
lent in localities, doing great damage, a remedy is greatly desired. For 
rotting of peaches and plums on the trees, remove and bury the decaying 
fruit and in case of European plums spray with Bordeaux till fruit is half 
grown. Japan plums and peaches are not able to bear Bordeaux while in 
leaf. 
9. Irrigation— This is practiced to the extent of a few acres in each place, 
- in Simsbury, Glastonbury and North Haven, on strawberries, with profitable 
results. In two cases water rams are used, one of them being specially 
prepared and of very large size, while the other has a natural flow of water. 
Apparently the most successful mode of application was by spray from three 
inch hose. 
10. Some of the larger orchards of apples are those of J. H. Merriman of 
New Britain and Mr. Hollister of Glastonbury, while of peaches the Hale 
Bros, of Glastonbury, Barnes Bros, of Yalesville and Cheshire, Geo. F. Platt 
& Son, Milford, A. C. Sternberg & Son, West Hartford, J. H. Merriman, 
Elijah Rogers and J. A. Gridley of New Britain have the largest areas. 
11. Evaporation is not practiced, nearby markets taking the surplus at 
better price than evaporation would .give. 
12. Hardiness — Peach trees have been injured to some extent by the last 
winter, but apple trees and other trees escaped. No difference was noticed 
in the hardiness of different varieties. Ice storms breaking down the trees 
of all kinds sometimes do great damage in exposed situations, hence a 
