PRACTICAL RESULTS FROM SPRAYING. 165 



thorough spraying which the vineyard received ; we can not know. 

 Nevertheless I intend to spray again next year. 



For many years past, nearly every spring the plum aphis has 

 made its appearance to some extent in the plum orchard, but never 

 before were they so numerous as during the past summer. They 

 not only appeared in great numbers on the leaves and terminal 

 branches, but many were also found on the fruit stems and in some 

 instances they almost covered the fruit itself. I saw at once that 

 some heroic method must be used to prevent the destruction of the 

 entire crop. During the presence of these insects there was a 

 heavy coating- of honey dew on the leaves and twigs of the trees, 

 and, as I had a small apiary located at one end of the plum orchard, 

 the bees were busily at work gathering the honey dew — which, by 

 the way, some have claimed is secreted by the aphides, while others 

 claim it to be an exudation of the leaves themselves. I am inclined 

 to believe the former theory true, for I noticed on other trees near 

 the plum orchard there was not the least trace of honey dew on 

 the leaves of trees where the aphis did not appear. Owing to the 

 presence of the bees I did not dare to use any spraying mixture 

 that would prove injurious to them, so I decided on the use of the 

 tobacco infusion, giving the entire orchard two thorough applica- 

 tions of that remedy, with the result that in a few days the aphides 

 were almost completely annihilated, and a fairly good crop of plums 

 was gathered. Still better results might have been obtained had 

 the spray been applied several days earlier. 



Having an evergreen hedge of arbor vitse, which for years I 

 had taken much pride in, and having discovered that myriads of 

 minute spiders had made their abode among its foliage, causing 

 it to fade and show indications of injury, and also having at hand 

 some of the tobacco infusion left over from spraying the plum or- 

 chard, I concluded to use it upon the hedge and note its effect. The 

 result was that the spiders were as effectually destroyed as were the 

 aphides in the plum orchard, and the hedge row of evergreens as- 

 sumed its natural color and vigor. I had treated the hedge some 

 years ago with kerosene emulsion for the same insect and with the 

 same results, but I regard the tobacco infusion as being cheaper and 

 more easily prepared. 



As to the benefit of spraying in the apple orchard, I may say 

 that I have obtained from fair to good results, according to the 

 thoroughness of the work in doing so. During the past season I 

 have used both the liquid and ihe dust sprays. Following the 

 practice of some others, for my own satisfaction, I have sprayed 



