REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 113 



subject was submitted by Mr. Orr of Stoney Creek, at the meeting of the Ontario Fruit 

 Growers' Association at Peterboro'. He also reported failure in preventing the disease 

 by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. The orchard referred to was one of those selected 

 for experiment this year, but unfortunately owing to the following reasons given by M r. 

 Orr, no definite results were obtained. He says : " Owing to an extremely wet June, it 

 was impossible to carry out the experiments thoroughly or as we should like to have 

 done. The severe drought in mid-summer seriously impaired the quality and size of the 

 fruit. The soil, being heavy clay, felt the effects of the dry weather most keenly. A 

 heavy wind storm occurred before harvesting time and blew off the more or less prema- 

 turely ripened fruit, which at this time was unfit for market. It was therefore impossible 

 to estimate the value of the work done on pears." 



Notes taken on 1st September, indicate that as far as it was possible to judge by 

 appearances the sprayed trees carried more and better fruit, and had much better foliage 

 than those untreated. On the matter of pears we have, however, interesting evidence 

 from Mr. M. Pettit, of Winona. Although experiencing much inconvenience from 

 continuous rainfall he reported on 26th May that " on looking over the sprayed and 

 unsprayed he could see quite a difference in favour of the sprayed trees. The Beurre 

 Giffard and Flemish Beauty unsprayed showed considerable fungus, both on leaf and 

 fruit, while on the sprayed trees there is scarcely any to be found. I also think there 

 is more fruit on the sprayed trees." 



Writing again under date of 7th November, Mr. Pettit says, " regarding the yield 

 of pears, I am unable to give you exact figures, but I think the sprayed trees of Flemish 

 Beauty had fully 75 per cent more fruit than those not sprayed. Beurre" Giffard trees 

 sprayed twice before blooming and regularly afterwards, were loaded with perfectly 

 clean fruit, while trees of the same variety not sprayed until the fungus appeared — 

 which was very soon after the pears had formed, on 29th May and 9th June — were 

 almost entirely destroyed. There was not much difference in the Bartletts sprayed, and 

 unsprayed as they were all a good clean sample this year." 



The trees were sprayed with copper sulphate on 16th April, Bordeaux mixture on 

 4th, 15th and 29th May and 13th and 29th June. Paris green was added in the later 

 sprayings. The best proof of Mr. Pettit's belief in the work is his statement that he 

 fully intends to spray thoroughly next year. He also concludes as a result of the 

 season's experiments on pears, that two sprayings before the blooming period are of 

 more value and have more effect than four sprayings after that period. 



The orchard of Mr. E. J. Woolverton also provided a striking example of the effect 

 of Bordeaux mixture upon Flemish Beauty pears. Of two young trees of this variety 

 standing alongside each other in the same row one was sprayed, the other not treated. 

 On 29th August the sprayed tree was clothed with luxuriant foliage and carried an 

 average crop of clean fruit, while its neighbour, the unsprayed, had lost fully 25 per 

 cent of its leaves and was almost bare of fruit. The result at harvest time was a bushel 

 of good pears on the one hand and a few inferior specimens on the other. 



= Let us conclude then that the " cracking and spotting " of the pear may be 

 prevented with great benefit to the tree and fruit by the timely application of Bordeaux 

 mixture, and that in treating these diseases the early applications are most important. 



APPLES. 



It is gratifying to be able to record results which cannot be accepted otherwise 

 than as absolutely conclusive, in connection with perhaps the most important class of 

 fruit which entered into the experiment, viz., apples. 



The unusual difficulties and hindrances encountered make the results all the more 

 emphatic and valuable. The work also should have been commenced at least ten days 

 earlier than it was begun, and the first spraying should have been made with copper 

 sulphate. This is in line with the experience of Mr. Murray Pettit. 



An interesting experiment was planned and inaugurated in the extensive apple 

 orchard of Mr. C. P. Carpenter, but was not carried out owing to the conditions of the 

 8c— 8 



