Report of State Board of Horticulture. 45 



Late winter and early spring of this year, weather condi- 

 tions were unfavorable for spraying. Many heavy rains in 

 February and March put the land in condition that made it 

 difficult for the sprayer to get into his orchard, hence spraying 

 that should have been done earlier in the season to be effect- 

 ive was done later when the buds on the trees had quickened, 

 which, to an extent, caused a partial injury to the fruit buds 

 in some cases. Spraying with salt, sulphur, and lime com- 

 pound for scale must be done while the tree is dormant, other- 

 wise if deferred too late in the season after the buds begin to 

 grow, while the scale may be destroyed, it will result in more 

 or less injury to the fruit buds. 



Among the fungus diseases that has given the apple growers 

 in Josepliine and Douglas counties much trouble and loss of 

 trees is the apple anthracnose, or, as it is locally known, 

 canker, or dead spot. Many growers have sprayed for this 

 disease with bordeaux, used the knife in cutting out the 

 affected tissue with poor success, until many intelligent apple 

 growers have become discouraged, and, in some cases, have 

 taken up their apple trees. 



I confess that for some time I felt that it was a disease we 

 did not understand, and that it could not be successfully 

 treated with the spraying compounds thus far tried; cutting 

 out the fungus did not prevent the fungus from breaking out 

 and growing on healthy tissue the next season. In studying 

 the disease and noting the observations of growers through the 

 district I have found that it is a winter disease in this climate. 

 That is, the fungus does not begin to grow or attack new tissue 

 until in the fall, then it grows during the winter months, 

 matures its spores in the spring, which remain dormant until 

 the following fall. After understanding the habits of the dis- 

 ease, its period of growth, and knowing that period is during 

 the winter months, we find the cause of failure in spraying 

 with bordeaux is because it was not done at the proper time. 



It must be remembered we can not control or destroy fungus 

 growth after it begins to grow with bordeaux. We prevent 

 its growth by removing the cause — the spore, which is nothing 

 more or less than the seed of the fungus. Destroy the germi- 

 nating qualities of the spore and we have removed the cause. 

 A solution of bluestone or sulphate of copper, which is the 

 component part of bordeaux mixture, destroys the germinating 

 quality of the spore of any fungus it comes in contact with. 

 Then, to treat any fungus disease with success, we must spray 



