The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-03-17
The Maine Pathological Society.

Patrons of Husbandry in Turner, one
of the leading orchard towns of the
state) was well attended, and the pro-
ceedings were of unusual interest and
value. We have space for only few
extracts from the proceedings, which
will be found practically valuable to the
fruit-growers of Vermont and New
Hampshire.
Mr.. Samuel G. Harlow of Bangor
(whose fine orchard we had the pleas
ure of visiting last falD had paper
on the question" Can the Goblin
Moth be Trapped ?" which summed up
all existing knowledge on the subject,
as follows:
My answer, from my own expert
ence, is not in open-mouthed bottles or
vessels of liquor. 1 have used these,
but invariably with no satisfactory re-
suits. Do not think it can be killed by
June and July evenings, as it is not at
tracted by fire as are other insects" He
then gave the following brief methods
of trapping, which can be followed with
partial success: Keep the doors and
windows of the fruit-house or cellar
closed from the time of bloom until all
the Larvae have come from the cocoons,
when they will fly to the windows and
can be killed. Use strips of cloth
around the trees and examine them
once week. Scrape the bark from
the trunk and large limbs and wash
with strong soap-suds Pick off all
wormy apples as soon as detected, and
feed to stock Immediately. Sheep and
swine in the orchard to pick up fallen
fruit cannot be depended upon to eff
fectually kill this insect. Spraying with
insecticides is the most effective remedy
yet discovered, and should be first APP
piled when the apple is about the size
of currant. Be careful to stand on
the windward side when spraying, and
keep all animals from the orchard for
some time after the application. Use
Paris green, London purple or powdered
arsenic in water, about as for potatoes.
The spraying is done with portable
force-pump and hose, using the 'cy-
clone nozzle which. throws a spray as
fine as dew, thus wetting the foliage,
with no waste and very little drip.
The spraying has to be repeated after
every rain for about three weeks, and
experiments carefully conducted at the
New York State Experiment Station
showed that, as compared with I'M
sprayed trees, the sprayed trees gave
about twenty-five per cent more mer-
charitable apples-that is, where the
sprayed trees gave one hundred barrels,
the unsprayed gave seventy-eight bar
rels. The gain of twenty-five barrels
paid amply for the extra labor, to say
nothing of the future benefit resulting
from the destruction of so many worms"
Mr.. Charles G.. Atkins of Manchester,
leading apple town in Kennebec
county, contributed a paper on The
Mulch Question" After few intro
ductory statements, in which it was
said that, next to fertilizing the soil, no
practice in orchard management had
been more generally approved or urged
than that of mulching, the essayist said
that, like other points, there were in
this matter of mulching many " ifs "
and "ands" to contend with; and he
proceeded to state the advantages and
objections, as follows "Among the
advantages of muching | would emu
merate the following: O Protection
of the surface soil from excessive dry
ing; (2) the protection from sudden
changes of temperature, and therefore
from alternate freezing and thawing in
absence of snow in the cold season; (3)
the prevention of the incrusting of the
surface or of washing by rains, to which
some titled lands would be subject; (4)
prevention of weeds; (5) securing to
the roots undisturbed possession of the
surface soil; CO. the promotion of nitri-
fication, and perhaps of other chem
ical changes IN the constituents of the
soil which render them more available
for food for the trees; CD the addition
of fertilizing materials to the soil. The
objections may be marshalled thus:
0) To mulch grown orchard thor
oughly is expensive; (2) the mulch har-
bors insects and mice; (3) there is dan
ger of fire sweeping through the or
chard and destroying the trees; (4) the
discontinuance of mulching after it has
been long employed gives the trees a
serious setback"
We have never seen this matter of
mulching better stated, pro and con,
than Mr.. Atkins has done it.
A paper on "The Fruit Line in
Maine twas read by another of the noted
fruit-growers of the Kennebec Valley,
w. p. Atherton of Hallowell. Mr..
Atherton's purpose was to show the
present northern limits of profitable
fruit-growing in that state, and his re-
marks have interest in adjoining states
After some general observations on
climate, etc., Mr.. Anterior concluded
as follows:
"From this hasty glance over the state
we find that fruit culture has its present
limit at or near the forty-lifth degree OF
latitude in Franklin and Somerset coun,
ties; in Piscataquis, about twenty miles
further north; in Penobscot, on or just
below the line; in Hancock county
twenty miles further south; in Wash