Cooperative Spraying Experiments. 163 



experiments with a poison spray for two years to encourage him to believe that he 

 can control the pest on plums by this method. 



Mr. Bostwick reports that the poison spray has given more satisfactory results 

 on cherries this year than in 1904. The curculio was less numerous than usual both 

 years. He sprayed one row of cherries once (before blossoming) with the poison; 

 another row was sprayed twice (once before and once after blossoming) ; two rows 

 received no spray and one row was sprayed three times on May 2nd, 20th, and 

 June 1st (the two last after the blossoms had dropped). He states that while the 

 sprayed trees did not show an average yield of a large per cent in advance of the 

 unsprayed trees, yet the quality of the sprayed fruit was far better and brought 

 from I to 5 cents more per pound. There was but little difference between the trees 

 receiving two and three applications, and the spraying before blossoming did not 

 seem to help materially. The sprayed plum trees did not show an average yield of 

 more than the unrpraycd trees, but almost one-third of the fruit on the latter were 

 " stung " by curculio and the sprayed fruit brought a little higher price than the 

 unsprayed. 



Mr. Pease sprayed prune trees and was forced to conclude that there was no 

 difference between the treated and unsprayed trees. 



Two other fruit-growers who used the arsenate of lead at my suggestion have 

 sent in reports : 



Mr. W. H. Hazlitt, Hector, writes, " I sprayed all my plums once very thoroughly 

 with the arsenate of lead and Bordeaux mixture. I have a full crop of Bradshaws, 

 Quackcnbos and Lombards, and almost half a crop of Rcine Claudes. I am firmly 

 convinced that my spraying at the time I did is the only thing that saved the crop, 

 as for three previous years my plums have set full and were stung badly and nearly 

 all dropped." 



Finally, Mr. J. W. Bell, Portland, reports, " we experimented with a poison 

 spray for the curculio on cherries and plums, and with very satisfactory results to 

 us. We used 4 pounds arsenate cf lead (Disparene) in connection with 50 gallons 

 of Bordeaux in the second spraying or just after the blossoms dropped, taking care 

 to cover all the foliage. The result was we could hardly find a cherry or plum that 

 was stung on the sprayed trees, while there were fully one-fourth stung on the 

 unsprayed trees. We sprayed 400 trees, leaving one row in the center of the block 

 unsprayed. The varieties were Red June and Burbank plums, and early Richmond 

 and Montmorency cherries. We were so well pleased we shall use this spray on all 

 our stone fruits another year." 



Some general conclusions. — The general conclusion that we may 

 draw from these experiments is that the pinm cnrctiho is readily con- 

 trolled with a poison spray on cherries ; that some fruit-growers are 

 convinced it can be controlled on plums also, but most of the results are 

 not conclusive ; and there is need of further experiments on peaches as 

 the evidence is very meagre. I would recommend the arsenate of lead 

 in preference to other poisons for it adheres better, can be used stronger, 

 and there is much less danger of injuring the foliage. I would use this 

 poison at the rate of from 3 to 4 pounds in 50 gallons of water or 

 Bordeaux mixture; the Bordeaux should contain only about half as much 



