BETTER FRUIT 



STATE ASSOCIATE EDITORS 



OREGON— C. I. Le\Tis. Horticulturist, ComlUs. 



WASHINOTON — Dr. A. L. Melander, Entomologist ; 

 O. M. Morris. Horticulturist; W. S. Thoraber. Horticul- 

 turist. Pullman. 



COLORADO — C. P. Gillette. Director and Entomologist: 

 E. B. House. Chief of Department of Civil and Irrigation 

 Engineering. State Agricultural College, Fort Collins. 



ARIZONA— B. P. Tajlor. Horticulturist. Tucson. 



WISCONSIM— Dr. B. D. Ball. Director and Entomologist, 

 Madison. 



SIONTANA— 0. B. Whipple, Horticulturist, Bozeman. 



CALIFORNIA — C. W, Woodworth, Entomologist, Berite- 

 ley: W. H. Volclt. Entomologist, WatsonTille; Leon D. 

 Batclielor. Horticulturist. Riverside. 



INDIANA— H. S. Jackson, Pathologist, I/Ofayette, 



An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern, Progressive Fruit Growing 



and Marketing. 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



407 Lumber Exchange 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



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BETTER FRUIT PUBLISHING COMPANY 



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Entered as second-class matter April 22, 1918, 



at the Postoflice at Portland, Oregon, under 



the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



Volume XIII 



Portland, Oregon, August 1, 1918 



Number 2 



The Codling Moth Situation 



By Leroy Childs, Entomologist and Pathologist, Hood River Experiment Station 



GROWERS in the Northwest should 

 give extra attention to the control 

 of the codling moth during the 

 remainder of the season. Up to the 

 present time the summer of 1918 has 

 been extremely favorable for the de- 

 velopment of the codling moth. Mixed 

 hot and cold spells during late May and 

 early June resulted in the breaking up 

 of the first brood, so that the appear- 

 ance of the second will be far from 

 regular. The warm dry weather of late 

 June and July permitted the rapid de- 

 velopment of the worms with a result 

 moths of the second generation are 

 appearing nearly fifteen days earlier 

 than they have at any time during the 

 past five years. This fact, together with 

 the fact that there are many very late 

 moths of the first generation to still 

 apijcar and deposit eggs, indicates that 

 there will be almost continuous egg 

 hatching from about the first of August 

 until nearly picking time. Where 

 worms of the first brood have been 

 conspicuous the orchardist should by 

 all means use two lead sprays this fall. 

 The first to be on the trees by the first 

 of August, as the latest date, and the 

 second to be applied about the 25th of 

 the same month. 



There is considerable difference in 

 llie development of the moths in the 

 different apple-growing sections, so 

 that these dates are only approxima- 

 tions. Every apple-growing section 

 needs an expert investigator to follow 

 Ihroufih the life history of the codling 

 moth each season that the timing of the 

 sprays may correspond to the activities 

 of the insects. This activity not only 

 varies widely from one season to an- 

 other, but there is apparently much 

 variation in the same senson in the 

 difi'erent sections. These differences 

 are probably due to temperatures vary- 

 ing on account of altitudinal, coastal 

 and interior influences. During the 

 past five years at Hood River it has 

 been found that a variation of a full 

 month has occurred in tht^ appearance 

 of the second brood of worms. When 

 we consider that a lead .spray is not 

 very effective for a period longer than 

 twenty to twenty-five days the reliance 

 upon a set date for applying the sum- 

 mer spray (which is practiced by a 

 great many orchardists) is entirely un- 



reliable as far as control is concerned. 

 Degree of control attained, provided the 

 spray is applied thoroughly, depends 

 entirely upon the timing of the spray- 

 ing. It might be asked: ^^'hat material 

 difference would it make if the spray 

 was applied even ten or twelve days 

 before egg hatching? The answer 

 would be in terms of obtainable results 

 in ordinary seasons of infestation, the 

 difference between complete control as 

 against one-half or even less control. 

 In other words, an application of spray 

 cannot be completely effective during 

 a period not to exceed twenty days at 

 this time of the year, owing to the 

 rapid growth of the fruit and its neces- 

 sary partial uncovering, the spray does 

 not expand with fruit expansion. If a 

 spray is applied ten days in advance 

 of the brood hatch one-half of its com- 

 plete effectiveness is forfeited at the 

 time the application is made. Effective- 

 ness in codling-moth control rapidly 



decreases at the end of twenty days. 

 Egg hatching activity, on the other 

 hand, under normal conditions, is usu- 

 ally approaching its height ten to 

 twelve days following the deposition 

 of the first eggs. At this time, then, a 

 maximum need of protection is de- 

 manded and the effectiveness of the 

 spray is rapidly decereasing. A very 

 great proportion of the losses that re- 

 suit in Northwestern apple orchards 

 and the poor control obtained on the 

 part of orchardists can be traced to 

 this source. 



The reduction of the time of applica- 

 tion of a spray to the shortest period 

 preceding egg hatching will only be 

 productive of good results. Very close 

 timing in the case of protracted egg 

 hatching will often save an extra appli- 

 cation of spray and much expense. An 

 intimate knowledge of the insects' sea- 

 sonal habits must be known to permit 

 the taking of these advantages. 



A Labor Saver That Should Be Investgated 



By D. E. Fryer, Seattle, Washington 



IN these days, while the boys are 

 "Over There," and while labor is so 

 scarce and expensive, it is highly ad- 

 visable for every association and every 

 warehouse man handling fruit to in- 

 vestigate carefully what can be accom- 

 plished by means of conveyors. Gravity 

 is one of nature's forces which is al- 

 ways present and always benig exerted 

 with equal power; and he is a wise man 

 who lets it do his work. For moving 

 the fruit into the warehouse — moving it 

 from packers to nailers, and from floor 

 to floor, a well-arranged conveying sys- 

 tem will save from twenty to one hun- 

 dred per cent of its cost in a single 

 season; and what is mor.'. it will result 

 in giving better service and in sys- 

 tematizng the work so as to speed up 

 the entire operation and increase its 

 capacity very materialh', and all this 

 on a basis of greater eflkiency. 



The gravity conveyor made of rollers 

 operating on ball bearin.cs is what has 

 made the use of conveying systems a 

 practical success in the ;ii'ple business. 

 These rollers are usually about 16 

 inches long, 2% to 3 inc hes in diam- 

 eter, and are placed in steel frames 



3, 4 or 6 inches on centers. These sec- 

 tions are made in lengths from six to 

 twelve feet and are fastened end to end 

 by detachable couplings. They are 

 supported by ad.justable supports, and 

 as boxes of apples will run on these 

 rollers at a pitch of from one-quarter 

 to one-half inch to the foot, it is a very 

 simple matter by adjusting the supports 

 to convey the apples from one place to 

 another with practically no labor. 

 These rollers are made of steel or wood. 

 While the steel is more durable, it costs 

 more and is heavier. Wood will wear 

 out in time, but if the wood is maple 

 and properly treated and cared for, it 

 will give long and satisfactory service; 

 and most all those who have used them 

 are more than convinced that the 

 saving in price is justifieif by the serv- 

 ice. Tapered rollers are employed at 

 curves and it is remarkable to see how 

 easily and smoothly the boxes will glide 

 around the corners here and there all 

 alone and without ever falling or giving 

 trouble. 



In connection with the gravity con- 

 veyors, inclined elevators are fre- 



Continued on page 26 



