No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 357 



DR. FUNK: It makes all the difference; if we spray right, with the 

 proper mixture, we have a killing agent; if we do not spray right, 

 we do not have the killing agent, and are short our time and money. 

 In this regard I submit to an impartial demonstration. I w^ould like 

 to see this point discussed. If this thing goes on, in a few years we 

 will have no farm orchards, and I think it is a most important ques- 

 tion. Of course, if we let it come to that, it will be a bonanza to the 

 few experts who, through time and attention, can continue to raise 

 fruit, but I fear the farmer will only realize that when it is too late. 



MR. STOUT : The Zoologist sent ou*. a man to my place to fumigate 

 the trees, posssibly three huadred, but the results are not satis- 

 factory — not as satisfactory as spraying. We sprayed ourselves, and 

 we had very satisfactory results. We had been spraying before he 

 fumigated, and he said the results would be all right, but they were 

 not. 



DR. FUNK: There is another subject I would like to talk of — 

 fumigation. Now, we know that you can successfully fumigate a 

 large tree, but in regard to nursery stock, it is only too often the 

 case that the trees have been fumii^ated before they were sent out, 

 and fumigated to death, so that they will not grow, and the question 

 resolves itself into this: shall we have fumigation, or shall we not? 

 Before I fumigated, if I lost ten per cent., I lost much; since I am 

 fumigating, I am losing forty per cent. Why, this season I had 

 some fine apple trees — as fine apple trees as you could find, before 

 fumigation; since fumigating, foriy per cent, of them have died. 

 Out of one hundred unfumigated trees not one died. Now, is this not 

 a danger? If the remedy is worse than the disease, is it not a 

 danger? Now, the question is whether we shall not kill the whole of 

 what we are trying to save. 



MR. SNAVELY: I think the Doctor has struck the keynote of this 

 whole business of fumigating. A large per cent, of the trees sent out 

 by nurserymen are trees that will not grow. 



MR. HERR: I want to ask the Doctor if there are not certain 

 varieties of apples that the Scale takes to, more than others? 

 Isn't the Ben Davis the one it takes to most of all? It is not as 

 particular as I am; I haven't much use for the Ben Davis. But why 

 is this? 



DR. FUNK: The Scale is general]}" carried by some outside influ- 

 ence, by birds, or something of that kind. It has no wings to fly, but, 

 of course, where the insects are carried, they stay and do their work, 

 and it is a fact that they will take to the Ben Davis quicker than to 

 any other kind. I think the Ben Davis has a weaker constitution, 

 and less resisting power. 



MR. SNAVELY: Dr. Funk has not, I think, touched on one im- 

 portant feature, and that is the summer spraying. A great many 

 people make the mistake of putting sulphur on their trees to destroy 

 the rot, and the next thing they know, they have no foliage on their 

 trees. 



