FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 39 



trees by hand four times. The second week in August vetch and rye 

 were sowed for a cover crop, the vetch being gone over with a cutaway, 

 and the rye harrowed in. This made twelve times with the drag, and 

 once AWth the cutaway, that that piece of ground had been harrowed — 

 do you wonder it groaned and bestirred itself? 



As to spra,ying. Eecords of the purchase of copper sulphate, linie and 

 nozzles date back as far as 1894, which would indicate that spraying 

 operations commenced on the farm about that time. But they were ir- 

 regular and some seasons they were omitted entirely, when other farm 

 work pressed. 



In the spring of 1909 I purchased a small one-hoi'se power spraying 

 outfit, and that has done our work these two seasons. While its work 

 has pleased me, I am now convinced that a larger engine can do the 

 work easier and with less wear than one of this size. 



In spite of the short time there was this year, after winter left and be- 

 fore growth started, all the orchards were spraj^ed with the lime-sulphur, 

 1 to 10, by the second of April. 



Just before the blossoms oj>ened, commencing April 10, we sprayed 

 with Bordeaux, using the 3-1-50 formula, without poison. 



With a blossoming season a mouth long it was worse than a Chinese 

 puzzle this year to determine just when the blossoms dropped, but ou 

 May 18 we struck an average and began spraying to fill the calyx cups 

 for codling moth, using seven pounds of arsenate of lead to 150 gallons of 

 lime-sulphur solution, 1-30 strength. 



This spray had been very thoroughly applied, and as other work press- 

 ed, the spray outfit was stored away to renmin until July. At this time 

 we were warned by Mr. K. W. Braucher, in charge of tiie U. S. depart- 

 ment of Agriculture experiments in Douglas, that the codling moths 

 were hatching later this year than usual, and we must spray the week 

 of June 20 if we would catch it. Accordingly the engine was again 

 started, and an application of arsenate of lead and water given. We 

 planned to use the arenate of lead in the 1 to 30 lime-sulphur solution, 

 but the supply of lime-sulphur gave out when only part of the trees were 

 covered. We noticed no material difference between these and the others 

 when handling the mature fruit. 



The last application was made the fourth week in July, arsenate of 

 lead solution alone, and there was still spray on the apples when picked 

 for market in October. 



Now as to results : Out of 44 barrels of Duchess there was one bushel 

 thrown out as culls, and of these six apples were wormy. 



Right here I would add that this season's work has convinced me that 

 if we pretend to spray at all we must spray at the proper time or half 

 the benefits are lost. Among the trees planted near the house are a 

 number of Northern Spies, and this variety blossoms later than the otli- 

 ers. These trees were sprayed six days later than those in the orchard 

 proper. Result : The same gang that put up fifty to sixtv barrels of the bet- 

 ter fruit at harvesting time, packed only twenty-one barrels from these 

 trees. Note the difference in expense of handling, as well as loss of fruit 

 from imperfections. 



From 225 trees that bore apples this year, we harvested 900 barrels of 

 fruit, one Baldwin tree vielding 14 barrels. 



