'J4 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Kloral EMitiou. 



Spraying operations in an Ontario orchard. Tiiese trees need pruning. 



calendar issued by the Department of 

 Agriculture, of Toronto, and should be 

 in the hands of every person who 

 sprays. Always have at your disposal 

 a hydrometer and a set of scales — two 

 very necessary assets towards success- 

 ful spraying. 



Apples, pears, and fruits of a like 

 nature, require a dormant spray to con- 

 trol all scale insects. This is best ap- 

 plied just before the leaf buds begin to 

 burst. However, it may be done some 

 few days ahead of this time, or as the 

 buds are bursting. With the peach, 

 however, tlie best results are to be ob- 

 tained if the spraying is done just be- 

 fore the buds have begun to swell. This 

 spray is to control leaf curl. The 

 strength should be 1.032 to 1.035 for 

 the lime sulphur wash. If one were to 

 use weaker solutions, good results are 

 not often obtained. 



The second application for apples 

 and pears should take place just as the 

 fruit buds are showing a pinkish tint. 

 This spraying is of great importance in 

 controlling the apple scab, bordeaux 

 being used. To it we add arsenate of 

 lead at 21/2 to 3 lbs. for every 40 gal- 

 lons of diluted spray, to control bud 

 moths and some minor insects. If 

 peaches require a second application for 

 the control of plum eurculi, 2 to 3 lbs. 

 of arsenate of lead can be used alone. 

 This is applied when the fruit is one- 

 third of an inch in size, and if it is 

 deemed advisable to spray for brown 

 rot, a solution of self-boiled lime sul- 

 phur may be applied about four weeks 

 after the blossoms have fallen. 



The third application should be ap- 

 plied when 90% of the blossoms have 

 fallen. No time must be lost, because 

 the poison must invariably be forced 



into the calyx end to control the cod- 

 ling moth. Use lime sulphur at a 

 strength of 1.008. If bordeaux is used 

 it will cause russeting of the apples. 

 Apply very thoroughly in the case of 

 apples to control the scab. If after a 

 lapse of ten days the weather is cold 

 and wet, it is absolutely tiecessaiy to 

 apply a fourth application in the case 

 of apples. Such weather is conducive 

 to a fresh outbreak of the scab, espe- 

 cially on the Snow's and Mcintosh. 

 Apply the same m-xtare as in the third 

 application, however, leaving out the 

 poison. A fourth application should in- 

 variably be given in the far eastern 

 counties along the St. Lawrence River. 

 Fall Conditions. 



Towards the middle of August to mid 

 September, cold weather is apt to cause 

 a renewed attack of apple scab. In the 

 fall of 1914, many sections of Ontario 

 experienced just such weather. Fruit 

 which was practically free from such 

 scab became infected, not only on the 

 calyx end, but on the stem. For this 

 apply the same strength of lime sul- 

 phur as used in the third application. 



The Department Spray Calendar and 

 Bulletin 198, should be in the hands of 

 every fruit grower. By frequently con- 

 sulting them one may prepare his own 

 fungicides. The directions for making 

 the same are found therein. The cost 

 when one prepares his own spray ma- 

 terial means a saving of about $2.00 to 

 $4.00 per barrel, all depending upon 

 the facilities for boiling. 



The fruit grower who sprays most 

 thoroughly produces his crop at a 

 greater reduction in cost than the man 

 who plays at spraying. He has a 

 greater quantity of higher quality, 

 hence the larger number of barrels 



which he can place upon the market. 

 Years of .'••mall prices, such as we are 

 experiencing, make it imperative that 

 we cut our operating expenses, so long 

 as it is in keeping with approved meth- 

 ods. A few dollars invested in addi- 

 tional spray material will pay greater 

 dividends than most men are aware of. 

 The fruit grower may spend money in 

 the pruning and cultivation of his or- 

 chard, aside from the interest on his 

 money, rent of land, etc., and then by 

 careless management at spraying time, 

 practically throw away the possibilit> 

 of high returns from his investment b\ 

 using unintelligently prepared sprays, 

 applied without the knowledge of wh> 

 you spray. 



If spraying is done methodically in 

 conjunction with the purpose to pro- 

 duce clean No. 1 fruit, the fruit grower 

 should overcome small returns. This is 

 a day of "quality," and spraying pro- 

 duces in its highest perfection. Spray 

 on time, spray with pressure, spray 

 with a purpose in view, and other 

 things being equal, a good dividend will 

 be assured to the fruit man from the 

 sale of high class fruit. 



Pruning Peach Trees 



Jas. Marshall, Hamilton, Ont. 



Peach trees require more pruning 

 than almost any other tree. The main 

 limbs should be allowed to branch out 

 near the ground. Do not have the trunk 

 of the tree between the limbs and the 

 ground more than one foot or one and 

 one-half feet long. I prefer to have the 

 trunks shorter than this, as you can 

 then have a low-headed tree, if you 

 keep the tops cut back. My plan is to 

 begin to thin the limbs, and open out 

 the centre of the tree and leave it vase- 

 shaped, so that the sun can shine into 

 the tree. Do this any time in the win- 

 ter, when the trees are dormant. To- 

 wards spring, say in March when dan- 

 ger of bud freezing is over, cut back the 

 previous year's young growth severely 

 if the buds are good, as there are often 

 too many good buds, and if too many 

 are left the peaches will not likely be 

 large. Thinning fruit is necessary 

 where there is too much fruit on trees, 

 in order to have a good sample. 



We spray our peach trees thoroughly 

 as early as we can in the spring with 

 home-boiled lime sulphur. I am not 

 finding fault with any other spray. The 

 chief thing is to get the spray on while 

 the buds are dormant. We finished our 

 first spraying last spring in March. The 

 work was done on fine sunny days when 

 the ground was frozen. By doing it 

 then, we did not cut up and tramp hard 

 the heavy clay soil, it was easier on the 

 horses to draw the hand and power 

 sprayers, and it prevented curl-leaf al- 

 most entirely. 



