Twelve Years' Experience in Spraying. 



By Edward Van Alstyne, Kinderhook, N. Y, 



The question is often asked, '' What is the use of all this spray- 

 ing?" Is it necessary? A few years ago we heard nothing of 

 these various insects and diseases. Is it a notion gotten up by 

 the people who have something to sell, makers of spraying appara- 

 tus or dealers in chemicals? Are these new troubles? I answer 

 by saying that most of these troubles are not new. We have been 

 increasing our plantings of fruit trees and plants, and have thus 

 furnished excellent food, as well as good breeding ground, for vari- 

 ous pests, something more suited to their needs, as well as more 

 plentiful than- the wild plants, on which they originally subsisted. 

 Fruit plantations multiply; so do these troubles. As we increase 

 traffic with the whole world we continue to bring in new pests and 

 diseases. Dr. Howard says that of the 75 insects most injurious 

 to fruits, 37 are of foreign origin. Cold, hard facts, but we may as 

 well accept them first as last. He who will not adapt himself to 

 these changed conditions will surely be left in the rear of the pro- 

 cession of progressive fruit-growers. The man who will control 

 conditions is the man who will be paid for fruit-growing as never 

 before. 



I do not entertain the foolish idea that spraying is the only 

 thing necessary to make fruit-growing successful. Spraying will 

 not fertilize or cultivate the soil, or prune trees. You have com- 

 menced at the wrong end if you think spraying is all that is neces- 

 sary. If I must choose between spraying, fertilizing and cultivat- 

 ing, I shall abandon spraying, and cultivate and fertilize. If 

 growers think they can starve trees by lack of fertility and cultiva- 

 tion, and once in three or four years cut out the summer's firewood 

 from the trees, and call it pruning, and then go to work and spray 



