110 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



mixture. Bordeaux is a splendid I'lmgieide, but it was very apt to 

 cause a russeting of the fruit, and some years this was very injurious 

 especially when it came to disposing of the fruit in the fall. 



And now, while I do not know what future years may bring forth, 

 we do know that while in some years there has been a great deal of 

 russeting from the Bordeaux, in other years the fruit has been fine, 

 showing quite conclusively that the season had much to do with the 

 S]>raying results. 



I know of no year that Michigan has produced as fine a quality of 

 fruit as has been harvested in all the apple producing sections of the 

 state, the finest color nnd the smoothest skin. I am not x^repared to 

 say how much lime-sulphur has had to do with this, for I do not know. 

 It might have been just as good if we had used Bordeaux. It has been 

 a season where even the non-sprayed orchards have given a yield of 

 fairly good fruit, showing that the season was usually favorable to pro- 

 ducing apples without the scab. In other words, it was unfavorable for 

 ])roducing the scab. 



Lime-sulphur is a good substitute — that is, we are apparently all 

 satisfied with it, so far as results have been attained, especially in the 

 ])ast year, but it is possible that in future years, in seasons not so favor- 

 able, it will not give such apparently good results. We have used it 

 1-35-40 for summer spraying, and we had no russeting of the fruit, al- 

 though the foliage was burned a little, I do not know just what Avas the 

 cause of the burning. 



A Voice — -You probably made it too strong. 



I am inclined to think that 1-35 would not do it, but the combination 

 of lime-sulphur with arsenate of lead is more apt to give the burnt con- 

 dition with the old Bordeaux mixture, because when put in Avith the 

 lime-sulphur there is a breaking down of the arsenate of lead from con- 

 tact Avith the lime-sulphur — I can not quite explain it, but I am satisfied 

 that we burn more when put on together than when put on separately. 

 At the same time we are very glad to know that even though Ave got the 

 burning effect on the leaves Ave did not get it on the fruit. Even right 

 Avhere the foliage Avas burned, Ave got fruit of exceptionally fine quality. 

 The BaldAvins would take a polish like a Jonathan. I never saw such 

 a fine skin on BaldAvins as Ave had this year. We did not have any scab.^ 



With these things in view, we would be foolish to go back to blue 

 vitriol, unless in future years we found by actual experience that the 

 lime-sulphur did not prove satisfactory as it has the past year. At 

 present I would not spend a cent for blue vitriol for spraying apples. 

 I may change my mind next year, but I shall continue to use lime- 

 sulphur, Avhich I did exclusively this last year, until I find something 

 better, — I mean for summer spray. I do not believe that Michigan 

 apple groAvers Avill ever have to go back to blue vitriol. 



I may say, however, that I am not as Avell satisfied Avith lime-sulphur 

 and arsenate of lead as I would like to be, but I do not know of another 

 poison that is any more satisfactory, and so until it is found I shall 

 continue to use that combination. 



I have sometimes thought that Ave might get more satisfactory results 

 if we used the arsenate as a clear solution after the blossoms are out, 

 than to use the combination. In the AA^est Avhere they have gotten great 



