154 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



good fruit produced was considerably greater than it would have been 

 had the trees been in better condition. In one orchard, for instance, 

 over half the Winesap apples from the sprayed block were graded No. 2. 

 Though almost entirely free from scab and codling moth many of the 

 fruits were small and poorly colored because of lack of proper pruning. 

 That same season the same variety in another orchard of the same age on 

 similar soil, and not far from the first, produced fruit nearly all of which, 

 from the sprayed block, graded No. 1, not because it was more free from 

 scab or codling moth, but because it was of much better size and color. 

 The trees in this second orchard had been more thoroughly pruned than 

 the trees in any other orchard in which spraying demonstrations were 

 made. 



Of the five seasons covered by these spraying tests, four have been 

 unfavorable owing to the prevalence of killing frosts at blossoming time. 

 The yields of fruit secured have not, therefore, been so favorable as they 

 would have been under more nearly average conditions. The prices 

 received for the fruit have, however, been good on the whole, in part at 

 least offsetting the rather poor yields. Moreover, the difference in value 

 between the sprayed and the unsprayed fruit has probably been as 

 great as it would have been in more favorable seasons because of the 

 fact that spraying seems to increase the yield of fruit more in an off 

 year than in a good fruit year. 



On the whole then it may be said that these spraying demonstrations 

 were conducted not under ideal conditions but under conditions fairly 

 representative of eastern Nebraska orchards and that therefore con- 

 clusions rightly drawn from the work should be of value to orchard 

 owners in that part of the state. The results were not exceptionally 

 good. In fact, the up-to-date orchardist should be able to get — and 

 does get — better results than those reported here. 



The following statements give a summary of the results obtained 

 from the first four years' work: 



COST OF SPRAYING. 



Number of orchards sprayed, 16. 



Total number of trees sprayed, 3,300. 



Average age of trees, 18 years. 



Average number of sprayings per year, 4. 



Average quantity of spray per tree each year, 13 gallons. 



Average quantity of spray per acre (50 trees), 650 gallons. 



Average cost of spraying material per 100 gallons, 87 cents. 



Average cost of applying spray per 100 gallons, 98 cents. 



Average cost of total cost of spraying per 100 gallons, $1.85. 



Average cost of spray material per tree, 11.3 cents. 



Average cost of applying spray per tree, 12.7 cents. 



Average total cost of spraying per tree, 24 cents. 



Average total cost of spraying per acre (50 trees) $12. 



