Summer Meeting, . 151 



way towards the control of apple scab and the early brood of 

 codling moth ; but, as a rule, the expense incurred is proportionately 

 greater than the benefit derived. To the man with a large or- 

 chard and a limited amount of machinery I would say, spray as 

 much of the orchard as possible at the right time, and then go 

 over it again at the next right time, and let the rest go. By so 

 doing, more apples will be barreled than will be if it is attempted 

 to cover the entire plantation and do nothing rightly. There is 

 one other problem in connection with spraying that might be men- 

 tioned here; that is the burning of the fruit by the Bordeaux 

 mixture. This is a difficulty which may or may not occur, and 

 which it seems to be impossible to obviate. No matter how much 

 care is exercised in preparing the mixture, injury sometimes oc- 

 curs. Whether it be due to the lime, to the water, to climatic 

 conditions, to the copper or to a combination of causes, it is diffi- 

 cult to say. In spraying, as in other branches of orchard work, 

 labor is an important factor. It is almost impossible to procure 

 nozzlemen who will exercise sufficient care. If the mixture is not 

 evenly distributed over the trees, the efficiency of the work is de- 

 creased in exact proportion to that part of the surface of the 

 trees that is missed, while the expense of the work remains the 

 same. 



Another problem in the Ozarks is the renovation of old 

 orchards. There has been but little effort put forth in 

 this direction, but there are instances where it has been 

 successfully carried out, at least so far as the physical 

 condition of the trees is concerned. The rejuvenation of 

 an old orchard, however, is a matter more easily talked of 

 than done. There is always a greater or less number of vacancies ; 

 the trees are bushy and ragged; the soil is likely to be poor, 

 compact, possibly stony, and overgrown with brambles and brush. 

 The matter of pruning and of resetting, if it is so desired, is easily 

 disposed of; but in cultivation and the use of fertilizers there is 

 need to exercise considerable care. If the soil is thin and light, and 

 especially if underlaid with hardpan, the roots of the trees are 

 close to the surface. The character of such soil under these con- 

 ditions necessitates the use of a turning plow in breaking it up. 

 Hence there is great danger of cutting many of the larger roots, 

 which is likely to result in more injury than benefit. Conse- 

 quently, the plowing should be as shallow as possible; in fact, 

 under any circumstances when a turning plow is used in the 

 orchard, the plowing should be shallow. It is much better, where 



