SPRAYING IN NEBRASKA. 247 



By spraying the grower not only produces clean fruit, but 

 he keeps his trees in a healthier condition. Apples do not 

 drop immaturely as a result of diseased steins, and a full crop 

 is matured. The fruit when stored keeps much better, being 

 comparatively free of disease geruis that cause rot, and there 

 are few insect and disease blemishes through which these 

 germs may enter the fruit should there be any present. It is 

 also noted that sprayed trees resist late spring frosts better 

 than unsprayed trees. Regular s^Draying keeps the trees in 

 a healthy, vigorous condition so that stronger and more ma- 

 ture fruit buds are formed. Then at blooming time applica- 

 tions of spray mixtures seem to aid the buds and flowers in 

 resisting frosts. 



In corroboration of the above conclusions the following is 

 quoted from an address by Professor J. C. Whitten, horti- 

 culturist at the University of Missouri, before the Nebraska 

 State Horticultural Society: 



"At times certain fungi may do more damage to the tree 

 direct than to the fruit which is being produced by it. Per- 

 haps a specific example may emphasize this point better than 

 can be done in any other way. In my own state during the 

 past three springs, for example, we have had prolonged cold, 

 more or less frosty weather during the blossoming period of 

 our apple trees. In sections of the state more or less blast- 

 ing of the flowers at this season has taken place, so that buds 

 here and there fail to set well. The almost unanimous ver- 

 dict of the orchardists has been that in sections Avhere apples 

 failed to set, even though there was a full bloom, that the fail- 

 ure has been due to the fact that the blossoms were killed by 

 cold, frosty weather. 



"It is my opinion that the failure of apple blossoms to set 

 fruit, and the dropping of these small apples shortly after 

 they set, has been due more largely to the presence of 'apple 

 scab' in the orchard than to cold weather. In one large or- 

 chard adjacent to the Experiment Station, which is not 

 sprayed, the blossoms of the trees were found to be quite gen- 



