334 . BOARU OF AGRICULTURE. 



pressed upon my mind more firmly tlian ever, though it was impressed 

 before, the necessity for each man to study his own conditions, and after 

 having gotten what information he can from other people, he can work 

 out his own salvation in fruit growing, whatever it is, from strawberries 

 to peaches, according to his own likes and dislikes, circumstances and 

 surroundings. With regard to this last question, as to Avhether or not 

 it is well to plant peaches on level ground, I will say in some sections 

 in this State, those of you know who have traveled through it, we ha've 

 land not level, decidedly hilly, and so we have law^s for observing peach 

 orchards upon level and hilly ground. Cold air runs down hill just like 

 water, and orchards I have been in along the Hudson River, where there 

 is little level ground, you will sometimes find that in certain seasons when 

 we have found winter injury of buds, they extended so far up hill and 

 stopped, and some varieties farther than others, but all showed change 

 of air. I know of one fruit farm of three hundred acres which grows 

 peaches extensively and has great success and very seldom has loss in 

 peach crops. Ouly one absolute failure in thirty years, and I attribute 

 that largely to their location. On one point touched upon, I should like 

 .-more definite information, that is the use of spraying for curculio. In our 

 peach orchard where we find curculio we have come to use a machine 

 shaped like an umbrella tiu-ned upside down with slot in one side, which 

 they run up to a tree and jar the curculio off and catch them in that way. 

 •Some of our most successful peach growers are using it to get ahead of 

 curculios, and we have the impression that spraying is liable to hurt the 

 foliage. We are very careful about spraying peach foliage any more than 

 necessary. We spray for peach curculio before bud opens, and this 

 spraying is done also to prevent peach rot. Last year one-half or two- 

 thirds of our trees were killed by the spraying mixture running down the 

 tree and blighting the whole tree. So you will find on peach trees little 

 twigs all over the trees with dead leaves on end of them. I suppose the 

 spraying with the Bordeaux mixture will prevent that, and I was won- 

 dering whether you got any benefit from the use of Paris green. If any 

 of you have had any experience in spraying for curculio or any benefit 

 from the use of Paris green for foliage I should like to hear from you. 



Mr. Flick: I do not think Paris gi-een has but little effect on the 

 curculio. I think I prevented the working of curculio and kept them 

 out of the trees by using weak spray of coal oil. During the earlier 

 growth of the leaves I think Paris green has some effect on the curculio, 

 but I think later on it does not. 



Professor Troop: My experience in spraying for the curculio is a 

 good deal like Mr. Flick's. Where we spray early, as soon as the buds 

 begin to start, we may catch some of the curculio with Paris green, 

 but never have succeeded in killing curculio with Paris green to 

 any extent after it begins to work on the fruit. Then they attend strictly 



