REPORT OF THE POMOLOGIST. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith my sixth annual report as Pomologist of this Department. During the past year two clerks have been added to the force of this division, and Mr. W. A. Taylor, of Michigan, has been appointed. assistant pomologist in place of Mr. C. L. Hopkins, of Florida, who resigned on account of ill health. With this increase in the office force it has been possible to enlarge materially the work of this division, but not to keep fully up to the work which is now in progress or to develop new lines which are contemplated. The work of tabulating and preparing for publication the reports of over 5,000 correspondents occupies much time and requires great skill in the subjects treated; but I may be allowed to state that all employees of the division seem specially fitted for their duties in this line, and are willing to do extra work, whenever it is necessary, outside of office hours. I would respectfully urge the necessity of further enlarging the force of this division. Permit me to urge the need of additional special agents also. During the past year only one has been regularly employed by this division, and three commissioned for periods of from one to six months. For the demands of so important and widespread an industry as fruit-growing, these are far from adequate. Very respectfully, Hon. J. M. RUSK, H. E. VAN DEMAN, Secretary. THE FRUIT CROP OF THE YEAR. The fruit crop of the year 1891 was remarkably large. Apples have not only been very abundant, but owing to the scarcity last year of fruit in which insects breed, and to the increased use of insecticides and fungicides, they have been unusually free from the depredations of insects and fungous diseases. Peaches have also been very abundant over nearly the whole of the peach-growing regions. In Connecticut a late frost cut off almost the entire crop when in bloom, and the same thing occurred in some portions of North Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio and in the southern counties of the Chesapeake peninsula, which has long been considered the most important of all the peach-producing sections. Furthermore, in the northern counties of this peninsula the yellows made sad havoc late in the season, when it was thought that a crop of over 8,000,000 bushels was secure. The fruit ripened prematurely, and in many orchards |