SPRAYING FRUIT TREES WHEN IN BLOOM 



This question must be considered from two standpoints : First : 

 What is the effect on the fruit when spraying is made with 

 arsenical poisons ? 



The New York Agricultural Experiment Station in the season 

 of 1900 made some careful investigations in cooperation with the 

 Cornell Experiment Station. A description of the experiments 

 and their results was given in Bulletin No. 196. The results show 

 that spraying in bloom tends to thin the fruit if the treatment is 

 given soon after the buds open. When trees had a great abund- 

 ance of blossoms, spraying but once during the blooming season 

 lessened the yield somewhat. By spraying repeatedly during the 

 blooming season, thus hitting the blossoms as they opened from 

 day to day, the blossoms were nearly all destroyed, and as a con- 

 sequence scarcely any fruit set. 



Second : What is the effect on honey bees when they visit trees 

 that have been sprayed with arsenical poisons? 



The only recorded experiments on this question show that care- 

 ful investigation was made by Prof. Webster at the Experiment 

 Station at Wooster, Ohio. These experiments were reported in 

 Ohio Bulletin No. 68. In summing up the matter Prof. Webster 

 says that he can draw no other conclusion from the results of his 

 experiments than that the bees are liable to be poisoned if the 

 bloom of fruit trees is sprayed ; the liability increasing in pro- 

 portion as the weather is favorable for the activity of the bees, 

 and that all bloom must have fallen from the trees before the 

 danger will have ceased. 



The best authorities in this state are all agreed that there is 

 little need of spraying when trees are in full bloom, and as long as 

 there seems to be some risk to bees, the law prohibiting such, 

 spraying is generally approved. 



The following is a copy of the law in the State of New York : 

 Section 1757. Penal Law. 



Spraying Fruit Trees with Poison. — Any person who will 

 spray with, or apply in any way poison or any poisonous sub- 

 stance, to fruit trees while the same are in blossom, is guilty of 

 a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than ten ($10) 

 dollars or more than fifty ($50) dollars for each offense j 



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