SPATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



was no injar}' to the foliage when lime was used. M3' experience 

 during the past two seasons has fully convinced me that spraying 

 pays and I shall continue it as long as I continue in the fruit busi- 

 ness. There is no labor thai pays so well if the work is properly 

 done." 



One correspondent, whose orchard is very productive, has not 

 been greath' troubled with wormy fruit. He has bought fruit from 

 other orchards which had been sprayed, and found it worse than his 

 own. This, however, is no criterion. As before noted, if the tree 

 is heavily loaded, the presence of the codling larva is to be desired, 

 unless the owner has sufficient courage to thin the fruit. It is 

 nature's method of preventing too great a tax on the strength of 

 the tree. It is also ver}' evident that the amount of wormy fruit, 

 though it might be actually the same in the two orchards, would 

 appear much less in a large lot than in a small one, and of course 

 the per cent of damage would be smaller. 



Last winter the question as to the danger of eating fruit which 

 had been sprayed was discussed, and from a theoretical considera- 

 tion of the subject we concluded that there was absolutely no da,nger 

 from eating the sprayed fruit; — that the highest probab'e amount 

 of poison per fruit, on trees sprayed twice with Paris Green in the 

 proportion of one pound to 200 gallons of water, was less than 

 3-1000 grain.* To assure ourselves in a practical way of the sub- 

 stantial correctnes-s of this statement, a number of fruits were 

 actually immersed in a preparation of Bordeaux mixture, to which 

 Paris Green had been added in the proportion of one pound to 250 

 gallons of the mixture. The variety used was the Alexander. The 

 fruits were dipped in the mixture July 20th and were left till matu- 

 rity, when they were taken to the chemical laboratory and submitted 

 to analysis. Result : No trace of arsenic found. I regard this as 

 an important test from the fact that by immersing the fruit the 

 greatest possible amount of the mixture was obtained, and the P>or- 

 deaux mixture being much more adhesive, would remain on the fruit 

 much longer than would a simple mixture of Paris Green and water. 

 Therefore I would repeat the statement made last year : There is no 

 reason why fruit sprayed as directed should be unwholesome. But 

 I would also add the caution that care must be used in making the 

 application. 



*Rep. Maine Pom. Soc. 18S)2, p. 7S. 



