NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



131 



ripens unevenlyanddropsearly from the tree. 

 The Wickson is a beautiful fruit of beautiful 

 color, good texture and moderate size ; but 

 the quality is not high, and the tree is of 

 poor form and slow coming into bearing. 

 We hope he undervalues this latter, for 

 owing to the high recommendations accom- 

 panying its introduction, the writer was in- 

 duced to plant largely of it ; and no doubt 

 many others have done the same. Of the 

 Japan plums it seems that Abundance and 

 Burbank are still the leading varieties for 

 profit. 



Lime Sulphur and Salt Again.— Mr. G. E. 



Fisher, who is most hopeful of the effective- 

 ness of this wash both against scale and 

 fungus, draws our attention to the following 

 which appeared in a recent issue of the 

 American Agriculturist : 



A pioneer and enthusiast in ttie use of the lime, 

 salt and sulphur wash as a remedy for San Jose 

 scale is N. G. Creely, of Burlington county, N. J. 

 In the eaily spring of 1901 the sprayed a twelve 

 acre peach orchard of large three-year old trees 

 that were badly incrusted witli scale. The result 

 was almost magical. Not only was the scale all 

 killed, so far as a rigid inspection could determine, 

 but the trees were uninjured, and making instead 

 a phenomenal growth of leaf and wood. Not- 

 withstanding the wet, rainy spring, the wash re- 

 mained on the trees all summer and was plainly 

 apparent at picking time. The spraying was 

 interrupted by rains, but was continued as soon 

 as trees were dry, and neither tbat applied before 

 nor after the rain was washed off. The trees are 

 now strong, healthy and remarkably clean. 



The material is so inexpensive that it can be 

 used freely, Mr. Creely uses a large force pump 

 having iSo pounds pressure and can throw a solid 

 stream seventy-five feet high. Vermorel and 

 other fine nozzles are discarded and a straight one 

 used that has an opening of about ^ inch diameter. 

 The stream is broken into a spray by putting the 

 thumb against it, although he expects to use a 

 metal cap for this purpose in the future. 



It is applied in late winter or spring on dormant 

 trees, and used in excess until it drips off the 

 branches and runs down the trunk. There is no 

 danger to the tree from using an excess. The 

 whole tree is incased in coat of thick wash. Mr. 

 Creely says that many peach trees in his vicinity 

 have been injured by using petroleum, and the 

 results have not been entirely successful, but this 

 wash is harmless, effective against the scale and 

 is cheap. He expects to spray the orchard again 

 this spring, although confident that about all the 

 scale is dead from last winter's application. Ke 



will also use it extensively on apples and pears. 

 For apples he intends to add eight ounces paris 

 green and four pounds copper sulphate to the 150 

 gallons, thus making a perfect spray against in- 

 sects and fungous diseases as well as scale. He 

 thinks one spraying with this compound may do 

 the whole businej^s. He believes that where the 

 wash has failed in the east it is because it was 

 used when cold, or was not properly compounded. 

 His success has inspired others, and other large 

 orchards will be sprayed this spring. 



Orcliard Institute Meetings. — Much credit is 

 due our new secretary, Mr. G. C. Creelman, 

 for arranging a series of fruitgrowers' meet- 

 ings in the most important fruit growing 

 sections of the province.^' The meetings are 

 being held in the afternoons, first in a public 

 hall at 1.30 p.m., adjourning to an orchard 

 at 3.30, when practical demonstrations are 

 given in pruning, grafting and other orchard 

 work. These meetings will no doubt result 

 in a better spirit of co-operation among 

 growers so as secure the very best terms 

 both in buying and selling their produce. 



Tlie Ben Davis seems to be the most pop- 

 ular commercial apple in the New England 

 States. Prof. Waugh of Vermont has been 

 securing reports showing the number o^ 

 bearing trees and the number of young trees 

 of Baldwin, Greening, Spy and Ben Davis. 

 He finds that the planting of Baldwins and 

 Greenings is considerably reduced in the re- 

 cent plantings ; the Northern Spy is hold- 

 ing its own, and perhaps gaining a little in 

 Northern New England; while the Ben Davis 

 outnumbers them all in the recent orchard 

 plantings of nearly every state. 



Co-operative Cold Storage. — A number of 

 large fruit-grpwers in the vicinity of St. 

 Catharines, having realized the advantage 

 and necessity of uniting together in some 

 way, in order to prevent the great waste 

 that was prevalent in seasons of full crops 

 of fruit and to secure better and cheaper 

 transportation facilities, formed, about 

 three years ago, what is known as the St. 



