HOW A CITY MAN MADE ORCHARDING PAY 289 



was to see that every twig and part of the trunk was thoroughly cov- 

 ever with the solution. He expected to control the scab with this 

 application. 



The second application was applied as the petals had fallen and 

 while the calyx cup of the little apple was still open. This time he 

 used more arsenate of lead, making it about 2% pounds to fifty gallons 

 This application was directed at codling moth and other insects. Mr. 

 Beavers has a tower on his sprayer which enables the men doing the 

 spraying to throw the spray material down on the tree and thus get 

 into the blossom end of the fruit better. Mr. Beavers himself worked 

 on the tower and he knows an efficient job was done. He uses plenty 

 of pressure so that the material is forced into the calyx, and thus is 

 ready for the worm when it commences to eat its way into the apple. 

 In spraying Mr. Beavers believes in thoroughness and is careful to 

 see that each tree receives the proper amount of spray, before passing 

 to the next. The third and last spray is put on immediately following 

 the second. Thus he catches any part that he might have slighted in 

 the preceding spray. In spraying as thoroughly as Mr. Beavers does, 

 it takes from four to six gallons to a tree, depending upon the size 

 and amount of leaves on the tree . 



The owner who had the orchard before Mr. Beavers, had not made 

 any money out of the orchard at all. His apples were wormy and were 

 slow sale on the market. Under "Sir. Beavers' method of handling 

 the orchard, the reverse has been true. By thoroughly cultivating, 

 pruning and spraying he has been able to produce a superior grade 

 of fruit that the merchants are eager to get. Mr. Beavers' long exper- 

 ience in the retail business has been a valuable aid to him in the dis- 

 position of his crop. Located as the orchard is about 5% miles from 

 the center of either Omaha or South Omaha and only 1 % miles from a 

 rock road into the city he has a large retail market at his door. This 

 year his crop is above the average for sprayed orchards in freedom of 

 insects and fungous injury. Usually 85 to 90 per cent perfect fruit 

 is considered a good average in a sprayed orchard. Mr. Beavers' 

 fruit will run over these figures. In marketing his fruit Mr. Beavers 

 deals direct with the grocers. 



He has an automobile delivery truck with which he makes deliv- 

 eries. He takes orders each day for the succeeding days and makes 

 deliveries as needed. Thus the dealer gets his fruit practically fresh 

 from the tree, for all the summer fruit. The apples are sold by 

 ■weight so that a bushel of fruit is delivered legal weight or forty- 

 eight pounds. Mr. Beavers says that a lot of buyers fail to take this 

 into consideration w^hen comparing his fruit with western box fruit. 

 The box holds forty pounds and is sold for a bushel. 



Before Mr. Beavers took his orchard and began to put business 

 principles to work on the orchard the returns were not much greater 

 than from ordinary farm crops. After putting the best methods in. 

 growing the fruit into practice then dealing direct with the dealer, or 



