THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 13 



if only one side of a grape is covered by the spray, it will be possible for the 

 spores to germinate upon its surface and infect the grape. When one fruit 

 in a cluster has been attacked it will require very thorough work to prevent 

 its spread to the others that touch it upon various sides. Especially if the 

 disease is troublesome, it is a good plan to spray the vineyard and then, 

 as soon as one application has been made, to go over the vines a second 

 time. If this is done, it will generall}'' be possible to lengthen the time 

 before the next application. In order to spray effectually, care should be 

 taken that the growth is not too thick. When the vines are trained upon 

 two wires, one above the other, it is well to have the lower wire about one- 

 half way to the ground, and if many suckers are sent out from the vines, 

 they should be rubbed oil so as to keep the vines open, A little summer 

 pruning just before spraying may also be necessary in order to open up the 

 vines so that all of the clusters can be reached. 



SPRAYING MACHINERY. 



In order to spray vineyards cheaply and effectually, a good spraying 

 rig should be used. While, if provided with proper rods, and nozzles, a 

 barrel pump such as is used in orchards might answer for small vineyards, 

 it will be better in the end to have a power vineyard spraying outfit. There 

 are several that will do excellent work. A rig with a light gasoline engine 

 can be used for this purpose, while vineyard sprayers made by E. C. Brown 

 & Co. of Rochester, New York, the Spramotor Co., Buffalo, New York, the 

 Wallace Machinery Co., of Champaign, Illinois, and the Niagara Gas Sprayer 

 Co. of Middleport, New York, will, if properly handled, prove satisfactory. 



From the extent to which the disease prevailed, especially in the Lawton 

 district, last year, it is very evident that unless the season is less favorable 

 for the rot than it has been during the past two or three years, and unless 

 the matter is promptly taken up by the Michigan grape-growers, the crops 

 in the sections where the disease has appeared will be of little value the 

 coming year. 



It will be possible to spray the vines properly at an expense of from $5.00 

 to $7.00 per acre, according to the number of applications required, and it 

 is very sure that the benefit of the spraying will more than equal this sum 

 in the freedom from other fungous diseases, to say nothing of the improved 

 flavor of the grapes, even though the rot does not appear. 



Last year the grapes in the vicinity of Lawton and Paw Paw were seriously 

 injured by the late spring frosts and other causes, which resulted in greatly 

 reducing the crop, but there were many vineyards which promised from 

 fifty to seventy-five per cent of a crop, which were attacked by the rot and 

 hardly a basket was picked from them. Had these vineyards been thoroughly 

 sprayed, a good crop would have been insured, and at the prices at which 

 grapes sold, the increased returns would have been sufficient to have paid 

 for spraying the vineyards for twenty years. 



While the price may not be as high in coming years, there is ever}- reason 

 to expect that next year and for several years to come, the virulence of the 

 rot will increase and the only safe way is to spray. To the grape growers I 

 will say that there is no middle course, "spray or surrender." 



Mr. Farrand, Eaton Rapids: I recommend using the soda Bordeaux 

 in the first stages of grape rot. I have used it, and it is a very strong fungicide. 

 Soda Bordeaux, 5 ounces lime to 2 ounces copper; 1 pound of Babbitt's 

 concentrated lye, or soda is what it is, and 3 pounds copper sulphate; 5 



