128 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are not able to grow all of the plants tliey sell and arrange witli uei«li- 

 boring frnit growers to snpply them with plants from stock fnrnished 

 by the nurseries. More than one hundred such plantations were in- 

 spected during the past year. 



INSPECTION OF MICHIGAN ORCHARDS. 



The high price at whicli fruit has sold during the last two or three 

 years has not only led to the planting of many new orchards, despite the 

 high cost and the scarcity of fruit trees, but has induced many farmers 

 to give greater attention and care to the older orchards. While this is 

 true in nearly every county in Michigan, it is in the ''Fruit Belt" along 

 Lake Michigan that it has been particularly noticeable. This has of 

 course resulted in larger and better fruit crops and higher prices for the 

 fruit. 



Dusting vs. Spraying. The dusting of the trees in place of spraying 

 has been adopted by many of the larger growers and has given very good 

 results during the last two j^ears, both in the way of controlling fun- 

 gous diseases and in holding in check the canker worm, codling moth, 

 tent-caterpillar, plum curculio and the various leaf-rollers. It is less 

 likely to burn the leaves and especially for large trees it can be done much 

 quicker than with a sijray rig. 



On the other hand, although it appears to be fully as effectual as spray- 

 ing for the control of leaf-eating insects, it does not seem to give quite 

 as good results against some of the fungi as does a liquid spray, particu- 

 larly if the season is wet and hence favorable to the development of these 

 diseases. At best, the apjilication of dusts do not seem to be as lasting 

 in their effect as the liquid applications, and particularly in wet seasons 

 one or two more dustings than sprayings should be given. The other 

 objection is the higher cost of the treatment. Thus, for a large apide 

 tree it may cost 20 to 25 cents for dusting while the cost of the materials 

 for spraying a similar tree is seldom more than 5 cents, or for a year 

 it might'be one dollar for dusting a tree as compared with an expense of 

 25 cents for the materials for spraying. Even allowing 5 cents per tree 

 for the labor of spraying, and disregarding the labor of dusting, the cost 

 of the latter operation would be twice as much as for spraying. 



As has been stated, there is greater danger of injury to the foliage 

 in spraying than when dust is used, but this is more commonly due 

 to the mechanical injury by the whipping of the tender foliage with the 

 stream from the spray-gun under a heavy pressure than to the action 

 of the spray materials. 



The greater gain from the use of the dusting machine comes from the 

 ability to cover the trees quickly and hence give them a protecting 

 coat at the proper time, while with a spray rig a week may be required to 

 spray a large orchard and in the mean time ojiportunity is given for 

 the attack of insects and for infection by fungi. Owners of large or- 

 chards will certainly find it helpful to have a dusting machine. 



The San Jose Scale In 1018 very little San Jose scale Avas found in 

 Michigan, but in V.)V.) it had become more ]»lentifnl and did consider- 

 able harm to neglected orchards. In 1I>2(I (he nnndier of infested or- 

 chards has been even greater. In one. (o\viisl)i]>, :\~} oirhards were found 

 infested, some of them quite badly, in one of the centj-al counties in which 

 little harm had been done in the past. 



