The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-05-02
SOMETHING LIKE SOCRATES.
Prof. Bullock Gives a Glass of High
School Boys a Practical Lesson
in Horticulture.

Prof. Bullock Gives Glass of High
School Boys a Practical Lesson
in Horticulture.
G7ONESDALE High school boys
It'll are highly favored. They
E1NeN have opportunity for get
kGHH ting knowledge far and
away ahead of the boys Of
a generation or so ago. Among 9TH
er good things that Prof H. A. Oday
is handing out to his boys along the
line of practical instruction is that
of how to grow fine fruit. Inasmuch
as Wayne county is destined even
tually to be rich in its growth of ap-
pies, every crumb of knowledge her
boys can gather on the best meth
DDS of their production is of great
value.
Prof. Oday lives the first house
beyond Homer Greene's residence,
away up Main street five or six
blocks above the "Dyberry forks. }"
On the Professors side hill lot is an
orchard of apple trees, and this Or
chard was chosen as an experiment
tai orchard for the benefit of the SEN
ior class of High school boys. If
High school girls want to take in
terest in tent caterpillars, leaf blis-
ter, mites and other m;teology, there
is nothing nominated in the bond"
to prevent them from so doing.
Prof. Oday's orchard was chosen
not because it was Prof. Oday's, but
because it was the nearest real or
chard to the Central school building.
Indeed Prof. Bullock, who has be-
come the High school boys Socrates
along horticultural lines, says the or
chard is not desirable for demonstra-
ton purposes as the trees are too old
and too high.
1t was a fearfully hot afternoon
on Thursday last when bakers doz-
en- of High school boys gathered on
the hill along with Prof. Bullock to
take a lesson in spraying. Dark
thunder heads loomed ominously in
the western sky, and from the clouds
came the sound of rumbling thunder,
muffled by distance and the stiffling
air. A Citizen boy met along with
the others to see how the lesson was
given, and incidentally to learn a
thing or so for his own personal
benefit. The boys enjoyed the out
ing right up to the limit They
gave marked attention to how the
lime mixture was compounded.
They watched the testing of the SOL
ution by means of hydrometer, Mr..
Bullock explaining that the one he
was using is the best obtainable. 1t
is the hydrometer that is sent out by
the Carbondale Instrument Company.
They helped work the pump that op-
crates the agitator in the bottom of
the spraying barrel, and then, after
being shown how to do the trick one
of the boys, Dan Dudley, was allow
ed to handle the long reed nozzle and
do the spraying act himself.
The spray was mainly to check
the leaf blister mite. which has be-
come menace. Three years ago this
pest was almost unknown in Wayne
county. Last season it was not so
pestiferously mean in it's ravages
as was anticipated, owing to the Sc
verify of the previous winter. The
mites are delicate little things and
do not thrive in cold weather. They
are advised to go south for their
health. The mild winter we are Just
| seeing the last of will be conducive
to their business, and Prof. Bullock
says they will be plen tiful this year.
They are very partial to Baldwin ap-
pie trees, that tree being their es-
pecial favorite. They attack the
leaves which curl up, die and drop
off, the ground frequently being
covered with such leaves early in
July.
The writer is a firm believer in
the Socratic method of teaching, and
is sure that Prof. Oday and Prof
Bullock are doing splendid work
with the High school boys of Homes
dale.