Third Annual Report 



III. Spraying. 



In Wayne County the method of selling the crop for the 

 purposes of manufacturing evaporated fruits puts a premium 

 on laxity in spraying, because the same price is given for scabby 

 fruits that is received for good fruits. One-third of the orchards 

 in the county were never sprayed. Forty-one per cent, received 

 some kind of spraying in 1903. 



Effect of Spraying on the Price and Yield. Sprayed or- 

 chards gave on an average an increased yield of 27 bushels per 

 acre. This seems w^orth trying for. In sprayed orchards fifteen 

 per cent, of the entire crop was barreled ; in the unsprayed or- 

 chards only twelve per cent, was barreled. The average income 

 on apples sold for evaporating was : in the sprayed orchards, 

 $77.84 per acre ; in the unsprayed, $63.00 per acre, making a 

 difference of $14.84 in favor of the sprayed orchard even when 

 the fruit was sold for evaporating purposes. 



Time for Spraying. The number of sprays must be deter- 

 mined by the season and the purpose. Here more than any- 

 where else is the old adage true, that an ounce of prevention 

 is worth a pound of cure. In the orchard there is no cure for 

 the various diseases, after they have once taken a foothold. 

 All the efforts of spraying are merely to prevent the spreading 

 of disease. 



In 1904, 564 orchards were observed, and it was invariably 

 found to be the case, that in those orchards not sprayed just 

 after the blossoms fell, the fruit was scabby. The earlier or 

 later sprayings did not seem to be of as much importance as this 

 one. If three sprays are to be given, the first should be ap- 

 plied just before, and the second just after the blossoms fall. 

 The next may be applied from ten to fourteen days later. 



Sprays are best applied with the power sprayer. Various 

 other kinds of sprayers, such as the hand sprayers, wheel-barrow 

 sprayers, barrel pumps, etc., are in use but they are being gradu- 

 ally displaced by the power sprayer. 



IV. Distance of Planting. 



In Wayne County the apple trees are their own enemies. 

 The early tendency was to plant too closely. Of those orchards 

 set previous to 1880, 43% were less than 30 x 30 feet apart. 

 Only 18% were set over 35 x 35 feet. Of the trees set since 

 1880 two-thirds are over 35 x 35 feet apart. 



Effect of Close Planting. When the number of full grown 

 apple trees is in excess of a certain, more or less constant, limit 



