CHAPTER V. 

 SPRAYING. 



The extent of the practice. The fact that so many growers evaporate 

 their entire crop gives rise to a general laxity in spraying. A little over 

 41 per cent of the trees set before 1880 were sprayed in 1903. One-third 

 are seldom or never sprayed. 



In 1902 most buyers of apples for evaporating paid the same price 

 regardless of the scab fungus. This fungus does not seriously damage 

 apples for evaporating unless it is so bad that it stunts or distorts the 

 apple or makes it crack. (See Fig. 81.) In 1902 it was very bad in many 

 orchards. The clean apples were generally considered to be worth more, 

 but were bought at the same price, as one man said, " in order to keep 

 peace in the neighborhood." This puts a premium on neglect and prob- 

 ably accounts for the large number who do not believe in spraying and 

 for the considerable number of those who do spray but do not use the 

 Bordeaux mixture. 



Effects of spraying on the yield and price. The damage from insects 

 and the apple-scab in 1903 was much less than usual. But even in this 

 year of few insects and little fungus, when most people " saw nothing 

 to spray for," spraying paid. The average yield of the sprayed orchards 

 was 27 bushels more than that of the unsprayed. (See table 19). This 

 was probably due chiefly to the prevention of the large loss caused by 

 the bud-moth and to the loss from the codlin-moth. The bud-moth 

 did considerable damage in many orchards, but its work was not com- 

 monly seen, or if seen, was attributed to a bad wind that made many 

 leaves turn brown at about the time when the bud-moth caused the young 

 shoots to die. The codlin-moth causes many apples to fall early in the 

 season. A part of the difference may be due to other factors as the sprayed 

 orchards averaged a little better in other treatment. 



TABLE 19. 

 Yield in bushels in 1903 of sprayed and unsprayed orchards. Trees set before 1880. 



