COMPARATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF FRUIT BUDS AND SPURS. 101 



ducing- those fruit spurs for the followino- year, while the unsprayed 

 trees had ])()riie but few peaches. The facts here discussed are shown 

 in the table that follows. 



Table 20. — Gain in number of spur buds on sprayed over unsprayed trees. 



Trees. 



Records. 



Length of old wood, mea.snred in inches, on sprayed and unsprayed trees. . 



Total number of sp\irs 



Number of spur buds, estimated at 3 buds per spur 



Average number of spurs per inch 



Average number of spur buds per inch 



Gain in favor of sprayed trees percent 



Besides comparing the number of fruit buds produced in 1893 by 

 the sprayed and unsprayed trees, it is desirable to contrast the bud- 

 producing- al)ilities of the upper and lower portions of these trees. 

 It is generally conceded as desirable that the crop of a peach tree should 

 be borna as largely as possible upon the lower limbs, and anything 

 tendino- to this result may prove of value. Peach leaf curl, ])eing due 

 to a fungous parasite, has a tendency to do more injury to the lower 

 than to the upper portions of the trees aflected. The atmospheric con- 

 ditions are more favorable for the germination of spores and to fungous 

 growth in the lower and more shaded portions of the tree, and the 

 lower branches accumulate greater numbers of fungous spores than the 

 upper branches. In the following table it is shown that the total number 

 of fruit buds produced b}^ the lower limbs of the sprayed trees was 7 

 per cent greater than the number produced by the upper limbs, com- 

 paring equal lengths of new wood in each case. On the unsprayed 

 trees, however, the upper limbs produced 5 per cent more fruit buds 

 per linear unit of new wood than the lower limbs. This shows a 

 difference of 12 per cent in favor of the sprayed trees. The tabulated 

 figures are as follows: 



Table 21. — Gain in total number of fruit buds on lower limbs of sprayed trees over those 

 of unsprayed trees, as compared with upper limbs of each, respectively. 



