THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
35 
think that my identity with what had been already done, 
rather than any merit or fitness of my own, brought my 
name into consideration in connection with the Associa¬ 
tion’s secretaryship. The unanimity with which you en¬ 
dorsed last June’s report and by your action directed the 
continuance of the same program and provided for fin¬ 
ancing it through the new schedule of dues, was a com¬ 
pliment to your Publicity Committee and those associa¬ 
ted with them, but it was even more a compliment to 
your own expression of your aims and ideals as an As¬ 
sociation. 
Need I say that I should have been forgetful of much 
kindness and generosity and favors far beyond my merit 
if I had not heeded that call to service? I feel that now 
conditions are different; your plans are matured and 
have been successfully carried out to this point. I feel 
that I can now turn my part in their continuance over 
to another without any sacrifice of your interests. 
I therefore beg you to relieve me of these pleasant 
duties and to accept my resignation as secretary to be¬ 
come effective upon the designation of my successor. 
Necessarily, I have been in close and constant touch 
with the members of the Executive Committee and it is 
not necessary for me to say—and yet out of pride and 
pleasure I must say—that from these personal friends 
and trade associates during many years, I have received 
as secretary their constant, generous and cordial co¬ 
operation. My correspondence with the members lias 
brought me into even closer touch with some hundreds 
of trade associates and this contact has given me much 
to recall with delight and nothing whatever of regret. 
Without a single exception, I have received from every 
member of the Association, every assistance asked for. 
I feel that this is something I should say to you. It is 
something I should like to say in person. 
The question of your next secretary is one that close¬ 
ly concerns each of you. My own relations with you 
have been so altogether pleasant that, having arrived at 
this decision, I feel that it would be a marked lack of 
courtesy for me not to acquaint each of you with it. 
Your affairs are in such prosperous condition, your 
adopted program so definite and your approval of il so 
unmistakable, that I feel I can now at any time without 
prejudice to your interests which have always been 
very close to me, turn back your commission and devote 
myself to other matters. 
I see you now accepted by the agricultural and horti¬ 
cultural press, by the leading pomological and garden 
societies, by the entomologists and other state officials 
and by your trade associates as aligned with the stand¬ 
ards of the new era in business, standing upon a pro¬ 
gressive and constructive program practical in every 
detail and leavened with a sentiment for such standards 
as will insure your growth and influence as an organ¬ 
ization, your larger prosperity as business men and your 
increased happiness as individuals. No one wishes for 
you all these things more ardently than myself. If, in 
your estimation, I have contributed to the smallest ex¬ 
tent to the accomplishment of the momentous years from 
1915 to the present time, then I shall feel happy and re¬ 
compensed beyond my deserts. 
Sincerely yours, 
Princeton, N. J., Jan. 8, 1921, JOHN WATSON. 
DUSTING EXPERIMENTS IN PEACH AND APPLE 
ORCHARDS 
F. TJ. Fromme and G. S. Ralston (Virginia Sta. Bui. 223 
(1919 ), pp. 3-16 , fig. '3). 
Results are given of experiments carried out during 
the season of 1919 to determine the efficiency of the dust 
form of application in the control of the common dis¬ 
eases and insects of Virginia apple and peach orchards, 
exclusive of those which are controlled by dormant ap¬ 
plications. No particular effort was made to compare 
the economy of the dust and liquid applications. 
The results of these experiments, supplemented by 
data from similar work applicable to Virginia conditions, 
led to the following conclusions: 
“Dusting mixtures which contain sulphur and arsen¬ 
ate of lead, with or without the addition of a filler, have 
given satisfactory control of peach scab and (possibly) 
curculio, and may be used, if desired, for the first two 
summer applications. These materials, however, did not 
prove satisfactory in the control of brown rot, and there¬ 
fore should not be relied on for the third or subsequent 
summer application. 
“Dusting mixtures containing arsenate of lead as the 
insecticide have given satisfactory control of codling 
moth. Bordeaux dust gave especially satisfactory con¬ 
trol of blotch and leaf spots in these experiments. Bor¬ 
deaux dust and sulphur dust mixtures were practically 
worthless in the control of bitter rot in these experi¬ 
ments, and neither should be used for this purpose. No 
data on scab control were obtained in this work, but 
other investigations have shown the uncertainty of satis¬ 
factory control with such dusting materials as have been 
employed.” 
THE COMING SEASON 
We are all looking ahead and trying to form an idea 
what the coming season is going to be. 
Is business going to be brisk with a demand equal to 
the supply with prices holding firm, or is it going to be 
stagnant with a falling market? 
Conditions are bound to be different from the last sev¬ 
eral years. Labor will be better and more plentiful, 
transportation will be better, prices will be lower in 
many lines. Possibly money will be easier. The question 
is, will business in the building trades and those lines 
which affect the nursery interests start up in confidence 
as soon as the season opens. Will the agriculturist be 
too depressed by falling prices to plant for the future? 
These and many other questions have a bearing on the 
answer. 
The country is undoubtedly full of optimism. We all 
knew that high prices and foolish spending had to stop 
and felt relieved when a halt and a downward tendency 
became noticeable, and there is every evidence that bus¬ 
iness will be good just as soon as it can be carried on, 
on a sane basis. 
As the nurseryman’s spring season will be here so 
soon it is very doubtful if he will get the benefit ot the 
