DOES IT PAY TO SPRAY 1] 



successful fruit-grower of wide experi- 

 ence, was appointed as superintendent 

 of the work. Each orchard was pro- 

 vided with a cheap spraying outfit. 

 Three men who knew how to spray 

 were sent to visit these orchards, ten days 

 for each man, and do the spraying at cer- 

 tain fixed dates, notice of which was 

 sent through the mail to all persons 

 interested, and by means of the local 

 press proper announcement was made 

 so that any who cared could come and 

 see for themselves. Besides the actual 

 work of spraying, these men were able 

 to give every possible information about 

 the different solutions and their applica- 

 tions. A bulletin full of accurate data, 

 and carefully illustrated, was widely dis- 

 tributed by the Department. 



The sprayers went round the twenty- 

 nine orchards seven times, and literally 

 the walls of Jericho fell, for the authen- 

 tic statements contained in this special 

 bulletin prove conclusively that spraying 

 not only pays, but pays well, and is a 

 highly successful agency in fighting the 

 flies, grubs, worms and fungous growths 

 that prey upon the orchards of Ontario. 



As illustrations of this, where spray- 

 ing was done, from 75 to 90 per cent, 

 of the fruit was clean, while from trees 

 in the same orchards, not sprayed, only 

 10 to 15 per cent, of the fruit was fit to 

 pack. Spys and other red fruit from 

 sprayed trees commanded $3.50 per 

 bbl. The best fruit from unsprayed 

 trees would bring but $2 per bbl. 



In order to learn what is thought of 

 these experiments in spraying, so as to 

 decide upon continuing them next 

 summer, a letter was sent to the owners 

 of the sprayed orchards, asking for their 

 opinions as to the value of the spraying, 

 and, if possible, to make definite state- 



ments as to the actual results per tree. 

 This letter has gathered a mass of in- 

 formation upon the subject of spraying 

 that is contained in the bulletin. 



For fear that the farmer with a small 

 orchard, or in fact any owner of apple 

 trees, even of only half a dozen, may 

 think this spraying business does not 

 concern him — an error of incalculable 

 injury to the industry, for fruit-growers 

 great and small are linked together in 

 the success or failure of fighting these 

 enemies — one man's experience is given. 



Mr. George Adams, of Smithville, 

 Ont., writes : '"I have eleven Spy trees. 

 Eight of them were sprayed, and the 

 result was 24 barrels of the finest fruit I 

 ever picked from them. I sold them at 

 $2.50 per barrel, and four barrels of 

 culls at $1 per barrel, $64 in all. These 

 culls were not spotted, but were under- 

 sized and wormy. The three Spy trees 

 not sprayed gave three barrels of badly 

 spotted fruit which sold for $2 per 

 barrel, and about ten barrels of culls, 

 which I sold for $1.25 for the lot." 

 That is to say, the sprayed trees brought 

 $8 each, and the unsprayed less than 

 $3, a difference of more than $5 per 

 tree. The cost of the whole outfit for 

 spraying would be more than made up 

 by the increased profit from a couple of 

 trees. Apart from the time of doing the 

 work, the spraying material costs less 

 than five cents a tree. 



This special bulletin should be read 

 by all who have at heart the welfare of 

 an industry already of immense profit to 

 the Province, and capable, if these 

 enemies can be successfully combatted, 

 of enormous expansion, for Ontario 

 apples, pears and, plums will find in 

 Great Britain and other European mar- 

 kets illimitable fields for expansion. 



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