APPLE ORCHARD SURVEY OF NIAGARA COUNTY. 303 



A few other interesting observations were made in this connection 

 during the summer of 1907, and may be recorded here as worthy of some 

 attention : 



Some varieties suffer more than others from the scale. Greenings 

 and Baldwins appear to be most subject to scale, while Russets, Tolman, 

 Oldenburg (Duchess), and Ben Davis suffer much less. This may be 

 due to a difference in the character of the bark. 



Trees in the central part of an orchard suffer more than those near 

 the outside, due perhaps to the better winter protection to the scale. 

 Trees in the centre of an orchard are a little less exposed to cold and 

 drying winds and other adversities of the winter season. 



Trees in a tilled orchard are injured more than those in a sod orchard; 

 the more rapid growth and softer tissue in the tilled orchard may be 

 advantageous to the scale. 



Early-maturing varieties usually carry a smaller number of scales on 

 the fruit. 



Scale is always much worse where the pruning is insufficient. 



Low heads and open top retard the spread of the scale on individual 

 trees.* 



The apple scab, which has been so troublesome -in apple districts 

 generally, and especially in Wayne and Orleans counties, has not 

 been serious the last few years in Niagara County. The scarcity of 

 this fungus, and the consequent small loss from it, are probably due 

 to the exceedingly dry weather in the summers of 1906 and 1907. 



The collar rot, observed in many orchards in Wayne and Orleans coun- 

 ties, is not of infrequent occurrence in Niagara. Observations of the 

 distribution of this disease tend to confirm earlier studies, namely, 

 that it is confined largely to poorly drained land. It is important, 

 however, to note that the rot in Niagara County is more frequent on 

 Baldwins and Greenings than was formerly supposed. And this suggests 

 that this disease is oftener associated with poorly drained soil than with 

 particular varieties of apples. 



* The San Jose* scale has long been studied at the New York Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station at Geneva, and those interested should address that Station for 

 bulletins on this subject. 



