Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-08-27
AUGUSTA FRUIT GROWERS.
IMPORTANT MEETING HERE ON SATUR-
DAY-A NUMBER OF PROMINENT
AKERS-SPRAYINGD DISPLAY

DAY-A NUMBER OF PROMINENT
SPEAKERS-SPRAYIN DISPLAY
ATW. A. PRATT'S ORCHARD.
There is no doubt that if the Fruit
Growers of this or any other section
ever had a better meeting than the one
held Saturday it has not been reported
at their annual meeting. The meeting
was held IN Assembly Hall at IL O'Clock
and was largely attended. Mr.. w. F.
Gilkeson, president of the association,
presided, and Mr.. w. A. McComb, sec
rotary, was present in his official ca
pacity, and there were also present gen.
tlemen whose labors in this particular
field have won for them distinctive rec
Ognition.
Prof. w. NJ. Scott, Bureau of Plant
Industry, United States department OF
Agriculture, Washington, d. c., adj
dressed the meeting, outlining the ex-
perimental work carried on in this
county through his department of the
government service and the treatment
of fungus diseases and coddling moth
and the general cultivation of orchards.
His talk was practical throughout and
extremely interesting.
Prof. A. l.. Quaintanee of the Gov
eminent Bureau of Entomology, dis
cussed the origin, life and treatment of
the coddling moth, subject of great
interest to the growers.
Prof S. w. Fletcher, director Of the
Experiments, Station at Blacksburg,
talked on the subject of packing and
Marketing Fruit" Just at this parti-
cular season of the year his talk was
thoroughly appreciated.
Prof. J. l.. Phillips of the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, next addressed
the assemblage, and his subject was CO.
operation of fruit growers. Prof. Phil
lips urged his hearers to get together
for the purpose of handling and mark
citing their fruit and pointed out to
them the great advantage to be derived
from such an arrangement.
With the conclusion of this address,
Mr.. VIM. A. Pratt invited the gentle
men present to visit the orchard near
-Fishersville, where Prof. Scott has been
experimenting since early spring. The
invitation was accepted with celebrity
and by special arrangement c. & O..
trains Nos. "A and Is stopped at Fish
ersville to accommodate the party.
The orchard visited is on the Staun-
ton-Waynesboro turnpike three-fourths
mile east of Fishersville and is now
known as ''The Elm Spring Orchard. ="
The orchard is known all over the
country, and until recently was the
property of Stauntonians, Messrs. VIM.
A. Pratt, S. M. Donald, J. S. Pancake
and Edward Echols, when it was
known as the LARA Orchard" The
property was recently disposed of to
Prof. Fletcher of Blacksburg, who will
not be given full possession until No
vember l, the present crop having been
reserved. 1t is said that this orchards
crop this year, which has already been
disposed Of, brought the highest price
ever obtained for commercial orchard
in Augusta county.
Since early spring Prof. Scott has
been experimenting here and surely it
would seem that no further proof could
be desired of the efficacy of the system
prescribed by the government for the
treatment of fungus diseases and cod
ding moth, for with notable scarcity
of fruit all over the county this orchard
is in perfect condition and It's So acres
is in full bearing and the fruit is I'M
usual both in quantity and quality.
Prof. Scott's experiment consisted OF
regular spraying at the intervals pre-
scribed and the members of the Fruit
Growers Association were given prac-
teal illustration of this great work to
fruit and orchard, which it is needless
TO say was greatly appreciated.