REPORT OF TEE HORTICULTURIST 



109 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



SPRAYING. 



Spraying has long passed the experimental stage and it should not now be neces- 

 sary to draw the attention of fruit growers to the importance of it. There are, how- 

 ever, a large number who do not spray. The proof of the value of spraying may now 

 be had on every side, and it seems strange that good fruit is allowed to become worth- 

 less by disease when if sprayed in time it would be free, or almost free, from it. This 

 year when the crop of apples was light and the prices high, it was especially desirable 

 to keep what there was clean, and where this was done nearly as much money wa3 

 realized in some cases as there would have been in a good fruit year, while on the 

 other hand those who did not spray got very little. 



A spraying calendar was published by the Entomologist and the Horticulturist 

 this year, in which formulas are given for the various mixtures and solutions, what 

 they are used for, and the time to apply them. This may be had on application. In 

 a bulletin on Apple Culture, published this year also, further particulars were given 

 on the subject of spraying. 



The recent discoveries of Prof. T. J. Burrill, of the Illinois Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, have necessitated a change in the time of the first spraying for the 

 apple spot fungus. He found that the disease did not winter on the twigs as was 

 supposed, but on the fallen leaves. Hence, the early spraying which it was customary 

 to make with copper sulphate and water was really of little value in preventing the 

 spread of the apple spot. It will, therefore, be advisable, to make the first spraying 

 with the ordinary Bordeaux mixture and Paris green just as the leaf buds are break- 

 ing, regulating the time so as to kill the tent caterpillars which hatch about that 

 time. The early sprayings are the most important, their object being to prevent the 

 germination of the spores which alight on the leaves, fruit and other parts of the 

 tree. Once the disease begins to spread it is very difficult to check it. Thorough 

 spraying is just as important with other fruits as it is with the apple. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH LIME MIXTURES FOR THE ERADICATION OE 



THE OYSTER-SHELL BARK-LOUSE. 



Experiments were continued last winter with lime mixtures for the eradication 

 of the oyster-shell bark-louse, in order to discover the best formula to use. As very 

 severe weather occurred before the experiments were completed, and continued for 

 some time, there were not as many mixtures used as had been planned, but the results 

 obtained were very interesting. In the following table will be found a record of the 

 work done and the results. The degrees of infestation, in ascending order, were : 

 ' very few scales/ ' a few scales,' ' slightly infested,' ' moderately infested,' (meaning 

 the same as 'considerably,' as used in 1900), and 'badly infested.' The spraying 

 was done in November and December, 1900, and in January, 1901. Where possible 

 the second application was made as soon as the first was dry. 



Formula Used. 

 Number of Times Sprayed. 



2 lbs. lime, 1 gallon water ; sprayed twice. 



Sprayed 3 times 



1 lb. lime, 1 gallon water ; sprayed twice. 



Sprayed 3 times 



1 lb. lime, 1 gallon water, 3£ oz. salt ; 

 sprayed twice 



j. 



£ 



32 



1 

 3 



4 



How Infested 

 before Spraying, 



December, 



1900, and Janu 



ary, 1901. 



24 moderately; 8 



badly 



Badly 



All moderately. . 



How Infested after Spraying, 

 December, 1901. 



26 with very few scales ; 3 with few 



scales ; 3 slightly affected. 

 Slightly ; but few scales on young wood. 

 A few scales on one and very few on two. 

 Two slightly ; two with but few scales. 



Very few left on any of the trees. 



