286 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the yield of sprayed trees was only about one-fourth more than of 

 unsprayed ones, the value of the fruit per tree was about two and 

 one-third times as great for sprayed as for unsprayed trees. The 

 average value for sprayed fruit was $1.87 per tree and for unsprayed 

 fruit $0.80 per tree, or a difference of $1.07 per tree. Subtracting from 

 this the average cost of spraying, 21 cents per tree, there still remains 

 a difference of 86 cents per tree in favor of spraying. There was, then, 

 on the average in all these six orchards, after allowing for the whole 

 cost of spraying, a little over twice as much realized from each sprayed 

 tree as from each unsprayed one. These orchards averaged over fifty 

 trees to the acre. Does it pay to spray? Spraying in these six orchards 

 not only paid for itself but, in addition to that, increased the net 

 value of the fruit on the average by over $40 per acre. If it pays to 

 grow apples at all in southeastern Nebraska, where on land worth about 

 $100 per acre an average of $40 per acre is received from unsprayed 

 fruit after deducting the cost of harvesting, then it most certainly pays 

 to spray that fruit, and spray it thoroughly, when by so doing the same 

 trees are made to yield a net income of over $80 per acre above the 

 cost of harvesting and of spraying. 



SUMMARY. 



In 1906, spraying demonstrations were conducted in six apple 

 orchards, one in each of six counties of southeastern Nebraska, in co- 

 operation between the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, the 

 United States Department of Agriculture and the owners of the orchards. 

 The objects were to demonstrate the value of spraying in controlling 

 apple scab and codling-moth, to determine the cost of spraying, and 

 to learn whether it pays to spray apples under the conditions existing 

 in Nebraska. (Pages 262, 263.) 



In each of the orchards a part of the trees were sprayed and a part 

 left unsprayed for comparison. One of the orchards was sprayed four 

 times and the others five times. The spray material was Bordeaux 

 mixture containing some poison, Paris green, arsenate of lead, etc. 

 (Page 264.) 



An accurate account was kept of the quantity and the cost of the 

 spraying materials used and of the time and cost of applying the spray. 

 Extensive observations were made as to the percentages of wormy and 

 scabby fruits on sprayed and unsprayed trees. An exact record was 

 made of the yield of fruit of a part of the trees of the sprayed and 

 of the unsprayed blocks of each orchard. The selling price of the fruit 

 was also determined as nearly as possible in every case. (Pages 264, 265.) 



The total quantity of material used per tree for the five sprayings 

 varied from 5 to 15 gallons, averaging nearly 11 gallons, or a little 

 over 2 gallons per tree for each application. The material cost from 

 a trifle less than one cent to nearly one and a half cents per gallon, 

 averaging one cent per gallon. The cost of applying the spray was 



