MY EXPERIENCE IN SPRAYING THE ORCHARD. 2I9 



MY EXPERIENCE IN SPRAYING THE ORCHARD. 



H. H. S. ROWELL, EXCELSIOR. 



My experience in spraying the orchard is not of great extent, 

 either in point of time or in area of orchard considered, but the 

 conditions and results noted may contribute something of prac- 

 tical bearing to the general fund of information. It has to do with 

 an orchard of thirty-five apple trees, established twenty years ago, 

 my experience covering the last seven years. 



In 1897 I acquired this orchard, then thirteen years old, situ- 

 ated on very high ground, with south and east slope, about one 

 mile southeast of Lake Minnetonka and probably 100 feet or 

 more above the lake level. The orchard was in sod, had largely 

 grown up to brush and had not been pruned for some years. With 

 the exception of occasional mulching, it had evidently received 

 little attention. I was told that the yield, in the best crop years, 

 had been forty to fifty bushels. 



Beginning in 1897, little was done the first season but to spray 

 once with Bordeaux, after blossoming. In 1898, in January, th-e 

 trees were vigorously pruned of the numerous dead limbs, which 

 were burned, and spraying with Bordeaux was done before and 

 after blooming. In 1899 the trees were pruned and scraped of 

 loose bark ; all the under-brush was cut and burned, and the trees 

 were sprayed with Bordeaux. In 1900 the trees were sprayed 

 with an "arsenoid" preparation, both before and after blooming. 

 In 1901, during February, the bark was scraped, and the trees were 

 sprayed with kerosene emulsion, and later in the season with Bor- 

 deaux. In October they were pruned. In 1902 the trees were 

 sprayed with "Liquid Koal," a patent preparation from coal tar. 

 In 1903 they were pruned in February and, in April, sprayed with 

 lime, sulphur and salt mixture. In 1904 they were pruned in 

 February, and sprayed in March with a solution of caustic soda, 

 and later with Bordeaux. 



The trees have been moderately mulched, owing to scarcity 

 of material, but they have received some applications of hardwood 

 ashes ; also lime, and occasionally iron filings and a little stable 

 manure. 



The years of odd numbers have been the light crop years, and 

 those of even date have been years of heavy crops. At the be- 

 ginning there were fourteen Wealthy, nine Whitney crabs, nine 

 Transcendant crabs, three Virginia crabs and three Hyslop crabs. 

 After the third year the Transcendants and the Hyslops were prac- 

 tically destroyed by blight. For the purpose of this investigation, 

 the results will be given for the Wealthys and the Whitneys, as 



