LIVING ENEMIES OF TREES 



popular. Owners of old trees and planters of new orchards are 

 especially likely to neglect this work, giving themselves the com- 

 forting assurance that they, anyway, do not need to do it. 



Such a course causes all kinds of trouble. Enemies get a 

 start and are harder to overcome later, when the grower wakes 

 up, as he must if he expects from his trees returns worth talking 

 about. Some of the greatest fruit states have laws compelling 

 owners to spray their trees. In certain sections spraying must 

 be done or the authorities will spray the trees and charge the 

 cost in the regular tax levy, or if trees are diseased will even 

 cut them down. This shows how spraying is regarded in some 

 of the most successful fruit-growing localities. It pays to 

 spray every season, all kinds of trees, and in all localities. 

 If you have not done it before, do not hesitate now. Acquire 

 knowledge of the enemies, of the spraying machines, and of 

 the materials to use, and when the proper time comes, spray. 



Trees are living things, and must be so regarded. If you are 

 to succeed in producing profitable crops, you must approach 

 orchard problems with an open mind. By intelligent spraying 

 you will make sure of having healthy trees, stimulate growth 

 and protect foliage. Proper spraying will prevent scab, blotch, 

 rust, nearly all rotting, damage to fruit by worms; will control 

 scale insects, and almost, if not quite, all the troubles that keep 

 fruit out of the flawless class. It will insure a big crop of full- 

 sized, clean leaves. Foliage is an essential physical part of a 

 tree. To secure good foliage, you must protect the trunk, limbs, 

 twigs and buds of the tree from injury. Spraying does this, and 

 at the same time seems to help growth, especially when lime- 

 sulphur is used. It is certain that trees which are sprayed take 

 on a brighter green, make a better growth, live longer, and 

 produce fruit which is cleaner, better colored and better ripened 

 than trees which are not sprayed. (Probably due to antiseptic 

 action of spray materials.) If done right, spraying can not 

 possibly harm trees, and is almost sure to cause them to live 

 twenty years or more longer than they would if they had not 

 been sprayed. 



The first essential in spraying is to find out what to spray for 

 what you want to kill, and how to go about it. There are four 

 classes of enemies that must be fought, with many kinds in each 

 class. You may have none, one, or all four on your trees now 

 if none, you are likely to get some next month. That is not 

 cheering, but, if you heed the warning, it will help you to add 

 several dollars to the value of the fruit you can harvest from 

 each tree. 



There are insects that chew at trees or fruit, like codlin 

 moth larvae (apple worms) and curculio; insects that suck 

 at trees, like San Jos6 scale; parasites that take root on trees or 

 fruit, like bitter rot, blotch, and mildew ; and bacteria which attack 

 leaves, bark or wood, like fire blight. Each has to be fought at 

 the right time and with different materials, but the treatments 

 often can be combined so that several enemies may be overcome 

 by the same sprayings. 



To give the most and clearest information in the least space, 



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