/'(?"■'' 



BETTER FRUIT 



January 



(icorge \\'flsliinKton*s Birthplaco, made of npples, 



SeviMith Nalioiml Apple Show, Spokane 



best orifiinal feature elll 



versally good practiiu to spfay applo 

 orchards once a year with lime-sulphur 

 solution wiien the early fruit buds 

 l)egin swelling in early spring. It will 

 certainly be a big help to jirevent accu- 

 mulation of nian.\ troubles, in addition 

 to controlling specilii- Iroiibles inen- 

 lioned above. 



For oysler-shell scale, scurfy scale, 

 llalian pear scale and (he large Le- 

 canium scales, and for accumulations 

 of mo.ss and lichens on the trunk and 

 and limbs, spray the trees as late in the 

 spring as possible, without danger of 

 injuring the xoiuig growth and fruil 

 buds, with crude-oil eimdsion al the 

 rate of 10 to 12 gallons to each KMI gal- 

 lons of dilute spray. In cases of severe 

 infestations of oyster-shell scale, this 

 first application may not be sufiicient 

 and a second spra>ing with distillate- 

 oil emulsion, aboul 2 per cent conccn- 

 Iration, combined with atoiulc sulpluu- 

 for scab and mildew and arsenate of 

 lead for codling moth, will be a decided 

 aid. The crude-oil treatment is very 

 ellicacious on liees covered with moss 

 and lichens, imder which some of the 

 smaller scale insects often hibernate. 



During the growiiig period, it is often 

 necessary to spray for many dilTerenl 

 Iroubles at or near the same time. 

 When the right materials are used it is 

 often possible to put several into the 

 spray tank at the same time and make 

 an effective fungicide and insecticide 

 treatment at the same application. 

 Many such condjinalions have been in 

 use for some lime, hut even at this time 

 the failure to use the right materials, or 

 to mix them in the right proportion, 

 causes considerable loss. In the Pacific 

 .Northwest the |)rincipal Iroubles to be 

 controlled on apple trees during the 

 growing period are scab, mildew, cod- 

 ling moth, aphis, red spider and leaf 

 hoppers. The codling moth is a well- 



entered by Miss Fanny Break, Spokane, a I the 

 This won first prize of Sl.in for the 

 ered by an individual. 



known pest in all apple-growing re- 

 gions and will not be discussed in detail 

 at this tiiue. Leaf hoppers and red 

 spiders occur in more or less limited 

 areas of the Northwest, and both are 

 easily iliscernible when present in 

 injurious numbers. The rosy-apple 

 aphis (or brown aphis) feeds in the de- 

 veloping fruit clusters, blossoms and 

 on the xoung fruit, stunting the growth 

 anil causing it to be deformed. I'he 

 green-apple aphis feeds on the foliage 

 and the young twig growth, curling the 

 leaves and generally slunting the 

 growth. With powderx mildew, the 

 fungus attacks the foliage and current 

 \ear"s twig growth. In some cases 

 blossom clusters and \iiung fruit are 

 attacked and the growth stunted, caus- 

 ing the blossoms to be short stemmed 

 and the stems thickened, the fruit re- 

 duced in size, and in some cases 

 checked and marked b\ the growing 

 m>celium of the fungus. Mildew pro- 

 duces white or grayish areas on the 

 foliage and \oung twig growth, pre- 

 venting the normal development of the 

 foliage and checking the twig growth 

 which reduces the vitality of the tree. 

 Bordeaux mixture and lime-sulphur 

 solution are not to be relied on for the 

 control of mildew, according to Ballard 

 and Volck (United .States Department 

 of .\griculture. Bulletin No. 12(1). Solu- 

 tions of copi)er or sul|)hur in the form 

 of suliihides, where the suli^hur is in 

 actual soluti<in, are not effective nor 

 advisable for mildew control. Pre- 

 cipitated sulphur, colloidal sulphur or 

 other forms of ver\ finely divided sul- 

 |)hur in condition suitable for li(|uid 

 spraying give far belter results. ,\mong 

 these are the iron-sulphide mixture and 

 atomic suliihur, a commercial prepara- 

 tion in paste form ready for dilution 

 in spray tank. This form of sulphur, 

 in addition to its direct effect on the 



fungus, gives considerable stimulation 

 to the foliage and strong, vigorous 

 foliage is an important step toward mil- 

 dew control. Under these conditions it 

 is of special importance that the first 

 application be made early in the sea- 

 son, iireferably at the lime of the first 

 spraying for codling moth. Atomic 

 su]])hur and arsenate of lead may be 

 used at the same time. In fact if atomic 

 sulphur, (i to 8 pounds to 100 gallons of 

 water, is combined with arsenate ol 

 lead for the first two sprayings for cod- 

 ling moth it will usually give satisfac- 

 tory control. In some sections where 

 mildew grows very rapidh it may be 

 necessary to make an additional spra\ - 

 ing with atomic sulphur between the 

 first and second sjiraxing for codling 

 moth. 



.\p])le scab is causing more injur> in 

 the Northwest each year and fruitgrow- 

 ers must give closer attention to time 

 of application and thoroughness of 

 work. The first spra\ ing, to be success- 

 ful, must be put on before the early in- 

 fections take place in the bud clusters. 

 This should, as a rule, be done as soon 

 as the clusters begin spreading. The 

 term "pink spray" is often loosely 

 translated to suit the convenience of 

 someone or to fit in with some other 

 work. To be safe, put this first spra\ 

 on, and do it thoroughly, when the 

 earliest buds begin to show pink and 

 do not w^ait until blossoms are appear- 

 ing, when many infections of scab max 

 have taken place. It is of special im- 

 portance to get this "pink spray" on 

 early when the late-winter spray of 

 lime-sulphur solution has not been used. 



Obviously the least number of appli- 

 cations that will control all these 

 troubles and with the least amount ol 

 resulting injury is desirable. .\s young 

 apples are very easily russeted and in- 

 jured by the use of some of the well- 

 known fungici<les, especiallv in combi- 

 nation with arsenical sprays, it has 

 been necessary to proceed with con- 

 siderable caution in advocating too 

 many combinations. .\lso, the advent 

 of light-distillate emulsions and similar 

 oil spra> s as safe, effective treatmenlv 

 for aphis and similar troubles, gives 

 another angle to the ijossibilily of coni- 

 bination.s — also impossibilities. Neithei 

 lime sulphur nor bordeaux mixture 

 should be used with oil sprays. How- 

 ever, recent investigations indicate thai 

 at least one form of nicotine can be 

 safel> combined with bordeaux mix- 

 ture. Nicotine is, of course, a safe 

 and effective combinalion with lime 

 sulphur. 



Without burdening you with further 

 details, and assuming that the winter 

 (ir dormant s])raying has been properh 

 applied, the following schedule is sug- 

 .gested, and it is done advisedly with 

 the best knowledge to be obtained from 

 latest investigations. .\s soon as clus- 

 ter buds have spread open, but before 

 blooming, it is time to spray for scab. 

 and where scab is the only fungus 

 trouble either lime-sulphur solution (^ 

 gallons to 100) or bordeaux mixture 

 ((i to 8 pounds of commercial paste lo 

 .">0 gallons, or .5-r>-.iO foi-imila if made al 



