286 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



Fig. 2.— Opening leaf buds, about the best time 



to give the first or so-called dormant spray to 



secure results upon apple scab. 



and be able to prevent the spares that 

 are present from germinating and in- 

 fecting either the foliage or fruit. 

 Times to Spray. 



This year there was in some orchards 

 some infection of leaves before the 

 blossoms burst. This is not often the 

 case. It suggests that contrary to our 

 opinion las.t year and the opinion of 

 most students of apple scab in the past, 

 it would be wise to give an earlier ap- 

 plication for this disease than the one 

 just before the iblossoms opened. I 

 have proof, however, that the omission 

 of this application did not account for 

 the high percentage of scab this year, 

 though giving it would probably have 

 lessened the scab some. The best time 

 to apply this earliest spray would be, 

 not before, 'but just after the leaf buds 

 have burst. If there is no San Jos^ 

 Scale to eombat, or if there is not a 

 great deal of Oyster-shell Scale, the 

 ■lime-sulphur need not be stronger than 

 one gallon commercial to twenty gal- 

 lons of water (1.015 sp. gr.). If, hovv- 

 ever, San Jose Scale is present, use it 

 not weaker than one gallon commercial 

 lime-sulphur to seven gallons water 

 <1.035 sp. gr.). If tent-oaterpillars or 

 cankerworms ai-e present two pounds 

 arsenate of lead may be added to every 

 forty gallons. 



The second application should be just 

 before the blossoms open. Do the ear- 

 liest varieties if necessary first, but try 

 to get all done as nearly as 

 possible to the time when 

 the pink is sliowing, but be- 

 fore the bloom has opened. 

 Use lime-sulphur one gallon 

 commercial to thirty gallons 

 water (1.010 sp. gr.), and 

 add two lbs. arsenate of 

 lead to each forty gallons. 

 The third application should 

 be immediately after the 

 blossoms have nearly all 

 fallen. Promptness in this 

 spray is of immense import- 

 ance, both for scab and 

 codling moth. Putting it pig. 3 



off three or four daj-s will often mean 

 failure. Use lime-sulphur one gallon 

 eonmiercial to thirty-five gallons water 

 (1.008 s"p. gr.), and add two pounds 

 ai-seiiate of lead to each forty gallons. 



Soiiietiiiies, as hapi>e'iu'd in .several 

 districts this year and als<j a few years 

 ago in Norfolk county, tihe period elaps- 

 ing between the spray just before the 

 bloom and tlie one just after tlie bloom 

 falls is a long one and so wet that the 

 mixture beconies washed off and can- 

 not protect the part of the flower that 

 later forms the fruit. In such cases 

 it will be absolutely necessary to give 

 an intermediate spray, say, ten or 

 twelve days after the one just before 

 bloom. In this application the poison 

 should be omitted and the lime-sulphur 

 used at the strength of one gallon com- 

 mercial to thirty or thirty-three gal- 

 lons water (about 1.009 sp. gr.). 



Sometimes all of June is wet. In that 

 case there should be an application 

 about two weeks after the codling moth 

 spray. Use lime-sulphur one gallon to 

 forty gallons water (1.007 sp. gr.). 

 Poison may be omitted. 



If an autumn spray is given to ward 

 off late attacks of scab and sooty fungus 

 it should be not later than August 15th, 

 otherwise the fruit would be stained at 

 picking time. Use lime-sulphur alone, 

 1 gallon to 40 gallons water, (sp.gr. 

 1.007). 



Causes of Failures. 



The failure of growers to control 

 scab this year may be traced to the fol- 

 lowing causes : 



1. Wet weather made the ground so 

 soft in spring that many had to omit 

 either the spray before bloom or the 

 one after bloom. The omission of either 

 meant scabby fruit. Spraying in dry 

 weather was useless. 



2. Many men did not try to spray 

 promptly at the times indicated in the 

 spray oalendar. If they had known the 

 life-history of the scab disease they 

 would have known that this would 

 mean failure in a wet spring. 



3. More than half, probably three- 

 fourths of the apple growers do not 



Fiff. 4. — The right stage for the codling moth 

 spray. Note that the bases of the blossom buds 

 in 3 and of the flowers .in 4 develop later into 

 the fruit and should be kept well covered with 

 spray. - 



spray nearly heavily enough. It takes 

 time and more material to wet a tree 

 thoroughly, but it more than repays 

 for all expense. It is the only kind of 

 spraying that will give nearly perfect 

 results. Good nozzles, set at the right 

 angle, good hose and a good working 

 machine are necessary for good spray- 

 ing. A large, well pruned tree of thirty- 

 five years of age that had much bloom 

 on it, cannot be we'll spraj-'ed with less 

 than ten gallons of liquid. 



4. In some districts, such as Prince 

 Edward county, an intermediate spray, 

 -without any poison, between the open- 

 ing and falling of the blossoms, was 

 necessary on most varieties to give 

 clean fruit because the interval then 

 was too long and the rains too frequent 

 and heavy. 



— The right stage of the blossom t)uds for the second application. 



Thinning Apples 



The Utah Agricultural College, dur- 

 ing 1911 and 1912, thinned the fruit on 

 a number of apple trees to determine 

 the exact value of this important or- 

 chard practice. It w-as found that the 

 yield was not reduced, and, what was 

 more important, it graded higher when 

 thinned so that the apples were at least 

 four inches apart. In 1911, there was 

 sixtj'-one per cent, fancy fruit on 

 thinned trees, and fifteen per cent, on 

 unthinned. In 1912, there 

 was thirty-eighj; per cent, of 

 fancy and extra fancy fruit 

 on thinned, as compared 

 with twenty-two per cent, 

 on unthinned trees. The 

 culls varied from six per . 

 cent, on thinned to 30 perl 

 cent, on unthinned trees inj 

 1911 ; in 1912, from thirteen! 

 per cent, to twenty-one perj 

 cent. 



"WTien reduced to dollars j 

 and cent.s, it was found thatj 

 the net returns were thirtyj 

 dollars per acre. 



