60 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March. 1913 



illicii-nt work. For .small home or- 

 I hards a barrel hand pump will answer 

 iho purpo.se. For orchards of one to 

 light acres a double-acting hand pumj) 

 which gives a pressure of from one hun- 

 dred to one hundred and twenty-five 

 pounds may prove satisfactory. Over 

 eight acres, a power outfit is almost a 

 necessity. 



Wejiave had the management of four 

 demonstration orchards in the counties 

 of Northumberland and Durham during 

 the past two years, and it might not be 

 .imiss to get our methods. Our spray 

 outfit consisted of a double-acting hand 

 pump mounted on a waggon — not on a 

 slone-boat — with a tower equipment for 

 reaching tall trees. 



Our tank \vas a home-made affair, 

 holding two hundred gallons. We used 

 two lines of hose with two angle nozzles 

 of the "friend" type on each line of 

 hose. One man was on the tower equip- 

 ped with fifteen feet of hose and a rod 

 light feet long; the other man being 

 (jn the ground with thirty feet of hose 

 and' a ten foot bamboo rod. Two men 

 acted as power on the pump — giving a 

 pressure of one hundred to one hundred 

 .ind fifty pounds. All solutions were 

 strained into the tank. The arsenate of 

 lead was first brought into suspension 

 before being strained into the spray 

 tank. We always endeavored to spray 

 with the wind and to do as much of the 

 tree as possible. One side of the tree 

 was sprayed as it was approached ; we 

 then drove directly opposite and spray- 

 ed the central parts thoroughly ; then we 

 completed the other side at the third 

 stop. Medium-sized trees were spray- 

 rd by stopping twice. We aimed to 

 rover every portion of the tree though 

 not wasting any material. For the spray 

 after the blossoms fell we tried to do 

 most thorough work. Our object was 

 to fill every calyx cup. Ninety per cent. 

 of the codling worms enter the apple in 

 the calyx end, hence it is important to 

 have the poison placed where it will do 

 most effective work. 



We sprayed each orchard three times, 

 using five to eight gallons of mixture 

 on each tree for each spraying. We 

 always cleaned our pump, hose, and 

 nozzles by running clean water through 

 them. Never leave liquid in pump over 

 night, because there is danger of freez- 

 ing in cold weather and clogging up the 

 nozzles. This point is worth remember- 

 ing, as it very often is the cause of 

 much delay and annoyance. 



Each fruit grower who u.ses lime-sul- 

 phur should have a hydrometer in order 

 to test the solution and know how many 

 gallons of water should be added to 

 each gallon of lime-sulphur. Instruc- 

 tions are eiven in the spray calendar, 

 which can ho had for the asking. 



Points to Watch When Ordering Nursery Stock 



Prof. J. W. Crow, O.A.C., Guelph, Ont. 



I find that a great many planters val- 

 ue a tree according to its size. In my 

 opinion, this is an error. Expert peach 

 growers always refuse the largest trees, 

 choosing rather one of medium height, 

 or slightly above, and moderately 

 stocky. In apples I think the same rule 

 would hold good. 



In a well grown block of stock, the 

 large trees are not necessarily the best, 

 and the statement is even more true 

 in plums and cherries than in apples. It 

 is much to be desired that our planters 

 shall become acquainted with the advan- 

 tages of younger trees. This is most 

 important in the case of cherries and 

 plums, as stone fruits are more difficult 

 to transplant successfully, and younger 

 trees can be more safely moved than 

 those of two years of age or older. In 

 ordering one year trees, one should 

 specify trees not less than three and a 

 half feet in height and at least moder- 

 ately stocky for the size. I observe, 

 too, that very many planters are unable 

 to tell the age of a nursery tree. This 

 is not usually a difficult matter, how- 

 ever, as the annual growths are for the 

 most part plainly indicated on the tree 

 itself and are readily ob.served. 



ADVANTAOE OF YOUNG TREES 



One of the chief advantages in the 

 use of younger trees is the fact that 

 a tree procured from the nursery as an 

 unbranched whip can be headed at any 

 desired height by the fruit grower and 

 can be shaped by him .so as to make a 

 tree of better form than the ordinary 

 two year old tree as received from the 

 nurseries. The advantages of low- 

 heading are many, and are for the most 



part obvious. The disadvantages are 

 not nearly so great as one would ex- 

 pect, for the reason that a low-headed 

 tree tends to grow more upright, and 

 cultivation is not interfered with nearly 

 so much as one would expect. 



Weeds and grass do not grow under 

 low-I>eaded trees to the same extent as 

 under high-headed trees, and shade fur- 

 nished by the tree itself also reduces 

 somewhat the necessity for cultivation 

 under the tree. With trees headed to 

 fifteen inches or less, there is very little 

 necessity for cultivating within two or 

 three feet of the trunk. .'Anything re- 

 quired in that area can be done by hand 

 at small expense. It is obvious that a 

 tree with a fifteen-inch trunk is much 

 more convenient to spray, prune, pick 

 and thin than one with a longer trunk. 



THE STOCK TO BUY 



In selecting nursery stock, one should 

 have these points in mind and should 

 endeavor to buy low-headed trees or 

 buy trees which can be headed low if 

 desired. Transportation charges on the 

 younger trees are less, and in moderate 

 quantities at least they could be for- 

 warded by express with much less dam- 

 ger of delay and consequent injury. 



In purchasing trees, it is always wise 

 to see the stock beforehand, if at all 

 possible. In case one can deal through 

 an agent whose reliability is unques- 

 tioned, it would be satisfactory to order 

 through him, but if not, the best plan 

 would be for a number of growers in 

 a district to club together and send one 

 man to purchase stock for the entire 

 numljer. 



