3^8 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



Protecting orchards from frost* The apple crop in Maine, 

 as in many other parts of the country, is often materially reduced 

 and in some sections may amount to a total failure as the result 

 of frosts occurring at blossoming time or when the fruit is 

 small. From time to time the question of starting fires and 

 smudges in the orchards on cold nights to ward off the frost 

 has been agitated, but the practicability of this has remained 

 more or less of an open question. Recent work in the far 

 West indicates that it is entirely possible, under some conditions 

 at least, to prevent the destruction of the crop in this way at 

 relatively small expense. Interested parties are advised to write 

 to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, for the free 

 Farmers' Bulletin 401 which tells how this work is done. 



Air. P. J. O'Gara, the author of this bulletin, says : "The 

 results of the past season's work in the Rogue River Valley 

 have shown that many acres of crops valued at from $500 to 

 $1,000 per acre have been saved at a total expendture of not 

 more than $15 to $20 per acre for firing. Very striking ex- 

 amples have been seen where unsmudged orchards adjoining 

 those that have been smudged have borne no fruit." 



Russetting or spray injury of fruit. Bordeaux mixture, some 

 of the prepared brands of lime-sulphur, and to a less extent 

 home-cooked and self -boiled lime sulphur spray, may produce 

 a russeting of the fruit.*'*' The relative merits of lime-sulphur 

 and bordeaux mixture as a spray for apple trees will be dis- 

 cussed elsewhere in this publication. 



Experience at other places and at this vStation has shown 

 that bordeaux mixture is more likely to produce spray injury 

 than most of the lime-sulphur sprays now on the market. Bor- 

 deaux injury first appears as small, regular, black or brown 

 spots scattered over the apple, but more frequently on those 

 parts which received the most spray. These spots differ from 



*For many practical suggestions with accounts of successful commer- 

 cial tests in several states in protecting orchards from frost at blossom- 

 ing time the reader is referred to the special "Orchard Heating Num- 

 ber" of Better Fruit. Vol. V, No. 4. October. 1910. 



**For an account of spraying experiments conducted in 1910 with 

 a discussion of the spray injury from lime-sulphur and bordeaux mix- 

 ture the reader is referred to Bulletin 189 of the Maine Experiment 

 Station by Mr. W. W. Bonus. 



