FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 91 



sliij)i)e(l has been known to destroy carload lots in the very few days in 

 transit. 



IJesides the attack spoken of in early season there is another attack 

 of scab appears in An<^nst and althoni;li this may appear slight its 

 resnlt is very severe as this gives the chance for pink rot to get in later 

 in the season. This attack also furnishes the spores to attack leaves 

 later in the season so that the disease may be carried over winter and 

 continue the devastation next season. Of course the manner in which 

 winter spores are produced is quite different from the summer form but 

 the result is the same and all tends to perpetuation of the disease. 



From what has been said it is evident that control must begin in the 

 early spring before the disease has got started again and in very bad 

 eases S})raying should begin before the leaves come out, spraying with 

 lime sulphur solution, or bordeaux. (Jive the following jsprays as 

 recommended in the sjjray and practice outline of the '"State Experiment 

 Station" mixing in a generous lot of your own good common sense and 

 apple scab can be controlled if not completely eradicated from any 

 localitv. 



HORTTrULTURE IN THE WEST. 



I-I. LEE BANCROFT. 



Tt was my good fortune, during the last year, to visit some of the 

 great fruit districts of the west, including the Yakima Valley, Hood 

 River and (Jrand Junction, Colorado, districts. Of these three great 

 districts, I s})ent the most time in, and became best acquainted with, 

 the last named district which is located in western ('olorado. 



Grand Junction lies in the valley of the Orand river and the fruit 

 district occupies about 200 square miles of the valley. The land is 

 mostly a clay loam and is divided uj) into 5, 10 and 15 acre tracts and 

 onl}^ intensive farming is i)racticed. 



Standard trees in the best orchards are set about 40x30 feet or 40x40 

 feet. Between the rows the common crop is alfalfa, which grows to 

 perfection in that climate. The trees are pruned heavily in the fall or 

 early spring. When the crop sets and grows to the diameter of an inch, 

 they are thinned, if needed, and throughout the season this thinning is 

 kept up to insure a large crop of a medium siz<^ad apple. Spraying is 

 practiced in every orchard, the connnon spray being, lime and sulphur, 

 early spray for San -lose which is rather scarce there and six s])rays 

 for the codling moth Avliich is their worst insect })est. High power 

 spraying machinery is used almost exclusively. Only the ver}^ latest and 

 approved methods are emi)loyed in their picking and packing, great care 

 being taken in the handling of the fruit. One rather striking example 

 of their foresight is seen in the shaping of the young trees, the branches 

 being so pruned that openings are left so that ladders can be set u]) 

 in the tree without opening up the tree and these openings are used 

 each year for the ladders. The trees are all low headed, and have open 

 centers to admit plenty of sunshine which is the big western asset. 



