26 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



February, 191.S 



Fruit Growers who Took Part in the Discussions at the Important Convention of the B. C. Fruit Growers' Association, at Victoria, B.C. 



(See report page 39) 



it is well to take out the machine and 

 give these spots an application of the 

 spray mixture. In spraying after the 

 foliage has appeared, people are often 

 misled by the advice that is given to 

 cease spraying just -before . the leaves 

 begin to drip. It is impossible to spray 

 a large or medium-size tree thoroughly 

 without a considerable amount of drip ; 

 hence the first rule to follow is : First, 

 make sure that every leaf and fruit is 

 covered ; and, second, try to do this with 

 as little material as possible. The num- 

 ber of trees which one barrel of spray 

 will cover depends largely on their age 

 and size, and also to a considerable 

 extent on the man who is wielding the 

 spray rod. 



UNDBBSTAND TOUB WORK 



To spray intelligently, one should 

 understand the life history of the more 

 important insect and fungous pests. 

 Unless a man knows exactly what he 

 is trying to fight or prevent, he is apt 

 to waste much time, labor and spraying 

 material. Read some good bulletin on 

 the subject. 



Promptness is absolutely necessary. 

 For those spraying applications which 

 commence with the first signs of growth 

 in the spring delay is fatal. In most 

 cases at that time of the year, one mig'ht 

 as well not spray at all as put it off for 

 two, three, four days, or even more. 

 The object of a fungicide is to prevent 

 and not to cure. Practically all fungi- 

 cides should be applied before the dis- 

 ease appears so as to prevent its lodg- 



ment, and are successful only when they 

 prevent infection. While this is not so 

 true in the case of insects, it is import- 

 ant not to delay spraying for them, since 

 when they are well established and more 

 fully grown, they are very difficult to 

 control . 



Absolute thoroughness in all phases 

 of the work is a third requirement. 

 Many growers do their work in a half- 

 hearted way and then complain of poor 

 results. Every portion of the tree 

 should be thoroughly moistened with a 

 fine mist or spray in order that a uni- 

 form coating of the same may be left 

 on the tree. The owner of the orchard, 

 who, presumably, is the man most 

 anxious to get good results from spray- 

 ing, should not trust the work to ordi- 

 nary labor, but he should do it himself 

 or personally supervise it, unelss he has 

 very reliable help. 



WHEN TO SPRAY 



For old apple orchards that have 

 never been sprayed, and for young or- 

 chards infested with oyster shell bark 

 louse or San Jose Scale, spray before 

 growth starts with commercial lime- 

 sulphur diluted one to nine. This spray 

 may be applied any time during the 

 dormant season of the trees. Strain 

 the concentrate through a fine mesh be- 

 fore using. This mixture acts as a gen- 

 eral cleaning spray for old trees. The 

 addition of a little milk of lime will 

 cause the spray to show more clearly on 

 the trees. 



Give application number two of poi- 

 soned lime-sulphur or Bordeaux mix- 

 ture when the leaf buds are swelling in 

 the spring, for tent caterpillars, bud 

 moths, cigar case borers and apple 

 scab. 



Give the same mixture again just be- 

 fore the blossoms open and after the 

 cluster buds unfold. This application is 

 for the scab and protects the young 

 Jeaves and stems of the forming fruit. 

 The poison is added for leaf eating in- 

 sects. 



Repeat the application once more when 

 most of the blossoms have fallen and 

 the little apples are still standing up- 

 right. Do not wait until the little 

 apples have turned downward, as it is 

 then too late. This is the first applica- 

 tion for codling moth and is important 

 in fighting the scab, as it is this appli- 

 cation which gives clean fruit. 



A fifth application composed of 

 arsenate of lead two pounds, and water 

 forty gallons, should be given a week 

 to ten days later. If judged necessary, 

 lime-sulphur may be used instead of 

 water . 



All five applications are not always 

 necessary, and the grower must be guid- 

 ed in their use by the prevalence of in- 

 sects and fungi and the character of the 

 season. If only one application can be 

 made, let it be number one. If only 

 two can be made, use numbers one and 

 two. If three can be made, use numbers 

 one, two and four. 



