No. 6. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 257 



is tlie second stage of our orchard. Then in some of our orchards, 

 especially the apple orchards, where we made a mistake early in life 

 by planting too closely together, we have adopted the mulch method, 

 letting a lillle grass grow and hauling in 'old straw and corn stalks 

 and coarser manures, anything to make mulching material, and mulch- 

 ing those trees. If 1 had unlimited (luantities of mulch 1 would jjre- 

 fer that method to cultivation, as it answers the same purpose and has 

 the same advantage, but it re:iuires a great amount of material, and I 

 think those situated on level ground where we can cultivate will find 

 cultivation better, although 1 have seen at the Ohio Experiment Sta- 

 tion their i)lots mulched have nmde better growths than the cultivated 

 plots; but on my own soil I have not got those results, so that where- 

 ever possible 1 practice clean cultivation. Perhaps that is enough 

 time spent on the cultivation. 



Now just a word or two in regard to spraying. I feel we are learn- 

 ing new thiugs every jenr about spraying. I believe we have been 

 taking these recommendations too generally without discriminating, 

 1 think, as to our own particular needs. We have not stopped to ask 

 whether we neeeded a fungicide or iusecticide and have not been thor- 

 ough enough iu application and prompt enough. I believe it will pay 

 every orchardist to use every means in his power to have plenty of 

 power and sjjraying material on hand, keep one or two extra outfits 

 on hand, so that if anything happens we can go on with the work to 

 advantage and at the right time and we must have outfits enough to 

 use the winds when just right. It is an advantage to give over three 

 spraying and four if possible. Last year I only gave two sprayings. 

 Don't understand I am advising this. I would not advise it under 

 many conditions, but in our region we are not troubled with the bitter 

 rot and other fungii and when spraying through the dormant season 

 we spray for San Jose scale and scab, and that with us is sufficient ; 

 and then as soon as the blossoms fall we give another spraying, drench- 

 ing the trees from three or four sides with dilute lime-sulphur and ar- 

 senate of lead and then feel secure that our croj) will be perfect. Last 

 year I had some careful tests made. Prof. Green and his assistants 

 conducted the experiments, and after being there a week he found less 

 than one-half of one per cent, of v/ormy apples. This was after one 

 spraying after the blossoms fell. That was not in old neglected or- 

 chard. 1 did not think it would be possible by the most diligent work 

 to secure these results the first seascm in such orchards. This was an 

 orchard sprayed for twenty years and in good condition to begin with. 



There is another point that I think perhaps is not thoroughly under- 

 stood by some in the cultivation of the plum. We have some perfect 

 results in the cultivation of the plum in protecting them from the cur- 

 culio by sitraying three or four times. Our uiethod is simple. We 

 spray with the lime sulphur concentrated soluticm, 33" Baume diluted 

 one to forty for plum, cherry and pear; add 2 pounds of arsenate 

 of lead to 50 gallons of the mixture. This was for the first spraying 

 after the blossoms fell. We prefer to spray the plums from one side 

 and then wait for three or four days and spray from the other side 

 and then again repeat. We have sprayed last year I think five times, 

 three times on the one side and two from the other. The second lime 

 over we omit the lime-sulphur and use milk of lime in its stead with 

 the arsenate. There is cumulative eft'ect of lime-sulphur when used 



17—6—1911 



