March, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



59 



Pruning and Spraying with Good Cultivation are Reclaiming Hundreds of Ontario Apple 

 Orchard*. A Simcoe County Orchard. 



Spraying the Apple Orchard: What it Costs 



R. S. Duncan, District Representative, Port Hope, Ont. 



THE question as to whether it will 

 pay to spray has long since been 

 answered in the affirmative, so it 

 will not be necessary to enter upon anv 

 argument in regard to this phase of the 

 subject. As to its relation to hygiene, 

 it is sufficient to say that spraying is 

 absolutely essential to the health and 

 vigor of the tree, for protection against 

 insects and fungus diseases and to the 

 production of clean fruit. 



There are still a few growers who do 

 not believe in spraying. We hope they 

 are few. On the other hand many grow- 

 ers realize the importance of spraying, 

 pruning, cultivation, and fertilization, 

 and yet they fall down in spraying be 

 cause they regard the work as disagree- 

 able and expensive, hard to understand, 

 and difficult to accomplish. A few gen- 

 eral principles are easy to learn. It is 

 not expensive, considering results. 

 Spraying is an insurance. It pays, and 

 pays well. 



In order to obtain results it is neces- 

 sary that the fruit grower spray intelli- 

 gently. The proper mixtures should be 

 used, applied at the proper time, and the 

 spraying done very thoroughly with the 

 the right kind of an outfit — one capable 

 of giving good pressure and not a make- 

 shift appliance made solely to sell. 



Apple orchards are attacked by many 

 diseases and insect pests, which are 

 steadily on the increase. These cause 

 an immense yearly loss in the apple 

 crop of Ontario. The farmer must know 

 what he is spraying for ; in other words 



he must know the habits or life histor- 

 ies of these pests in order to know how 

 best to combat them and attack them 

 during the most vulnerable period of 

 their life. 



INSECTS AND DISE.VSES 



The chief insects attacking apple 

 trees and fruit are : San Jose Scale, 

 Oyster Shell bark louse, blister mite, 

 aphids, bud moths, codling moth, tent 

 caterpillars, case bearers, canker 

 worms, plum curculio, and railroad 

 worm. There are a few others of minor 

 importance. The chief diseases are : 

 Apple scab, apple leaf spot, sooty blotch, 

 bitter rot, black rot, canker, and blight. 

 Practically all these insects and diseases 

 can be controlled by spraying, with the 

 exception of railroad worm, blight, and 

 canker. 



HOW TO CONTROL THEM 



To control the scale insects and blis- 

 ter mite, spray with lime-sulphur, com- 

 mercial strength, one to ten, just before 

 the leaf buds burst. The scale insects 

 can be controlled by spraying any time 

 on the dormant wood with the foregoing 

 mixture ; but the only time to catch the 

 blister mite is just before or as the buds 

 begin to burst. Hence we "kill two 

 birds with one stone." The little mites 

 winter underneath the bud scales, and 

 as soon as growth takes place in the 

 spring they leave their hiding place and 

 push their way through to the leaves 

 where they enter the epidermis of the 

 lower surface of the leaf and form blis- 

 ters which later turn reddish brown. 

 Thoy don't affect the fruit directly, but 



impair the function of the leaf in the 

 manufacture of food and hence weaken 

 the vitality of the tree. 



The bud moth, canker worm, case 

 bearer, and caterpillars may be con- 

 trolled by spraying with a poison, two 

 pounds Arsenate of Lead to forty gal- 

 lons of water, just before the blossoms 

 burst or as pink is beginning to show in 

 the leaves. As this is also the time for 

 the first spraying to ward off apple scab, 

 and other fungus diseases, and to pro- 

 tect the young stems of the forming 

 fruit, lime sulphur, one to thirty-five 

 commercial strength, could b^ used with 

 the poison for insects just named. 



For aphids, it is advisable to examine 

 the twigs and leaf buds, and if present 

 to spray with kerosene emulsion, which 

 is made by dissolving half pound of soap 

 in one gallon of rain water and then add- 

 ing two gallons of kerosene and stirring 

 vigorously until the mixture is of the 

 consistency of cream. Dilute one gal- 

 lon with nine of water for spraying. The 

 efficacy lies in the fact that every little 

 lou.se should be hit with the emulsion ; 

 hence, the need for doing thorough 

 work. A preparation known as "black 

 leaf forty" — directions given on can for 

 use — has given good results in control 

 of aphids when applied along with the 

 lime-suIphur for the second spraying. 

 The writer has not used this material, 

 so cannot vouch for its effectiveness. 



Spraying with lime-sulphur, one to 

 forty with two pounds arsenate of lead 

 added to forty gallons of the mixture, 

 if done thoroughly and immediately after 

 the blossoms have ' fallen, will control 

 codling worm and curculio. This is also 

 the second spraying for the control of 

 apple scab. 



A fourth spraying about two weeks 

 later will be effective in warding off 

 scab, especially so if the season is at 

 all damp. 



The only remedy for twig blight is to 

 cut out well below the affected area and 

 burn. Be sure to disinfect the tools 

 after each cut in order to prevent the 

 spread of the bacterial spores. Canker 

 on old trees should be cut out and the 

 cut surface disinfected and given a coat 

 of white lead and oil to prevent the en- 

 trance of spores. 



The railroad worm adult lays its eggs 

 underneath the skin of the apple about 

 the first week in July — too late to sprav 

 for it. The only remedy is to pick up 

 all fruit as it falls to the ground and 

 get rid of it in some way. Pasturing 

 with hogs or sheep serves the same pur- 

 pose . 



Proper equipment for spraying opera- 

 tions is necessary. A good pump, with 

 all accessories in the wav of strainer 

 and hose, nozzles, fittings, and exten- 

 sion rods, together with a tower for tall 

 trees, are essential to economical and 



