THE IKltlGATION AGE. 



223 



WHAT SPRAYING WILL DO. 



BY H. E. STIVER. 



In the northeastern part of Ohio there resides a well- 

 to-do farmer whom we shall call Smith for convenience, 

 who owns a 40-acre apple orchard, about 30 acres of 

 which are in bearing,- and from which he annually re- 

 ceives an income which compares favorably with the sal- 

 ary received by the governor of that state a few years ago. 

 In addition to this, he has about 70 acres of good farm 

 land planted with the usual crops, from which he also de- 

 rives considerable financial benefit. 



When Smith first moved on his place, nearly twenty 

 years ago, there were three trees of Grindstone apples in 

 bearing. Anyone who has had experience with the Grind- 

 stone will readily agree that it is rightly named, but it 

 does have several redeeming qualities, chief of which is 

 its facility for storage. At any rate, our farmer, foresee- 

 ing that ths general yield would be rather poor that year, 

 gave a little attention to the Grindstones and by the next 

 corn planting time discovered that he had realized a net 

 profit of something like seventy-five dollars from them. 

 That set him thinking. He decided that if three trees of 

 such a variety as the Grindstone would bring prices like 

 that, then standard fruit would surely pay more for the 

 trouble of raisivk- 



Then it was that he departed from tradition and com- 

 menced to devote some attention to the care of his trees. 

 First he endeavored to discover why the average farmer 

 did not realize more from his orchard, and a short ob- 

 servation convinced him that trees that were not cared 

 for could not produce fruit that was desired by the public. 

 Secondly, came the realization that trees are very similar 

 to the human organism, inasmuch that they must be fed 

 right with properly administered soil, and kept free from 

 disea c e in order that they produce the best results. 



Thirdly, that the only way to benefit tree and fruit 

 was by the elimination of all insects and fungus growths 

 that received nutrition from the tree, and that spraying 

 presented the only successful way of applying the desired 

 remedies. 



Fourthly, what was causing the imperfect fruit and 

 what remedv would prevent the cause. His investigations 

 brought forth the fact that the orchard was troubled main- 

 ly with apple scab, a disease that attacks the apple itself 

 and stops all growth in the immediate vicinitv of the part 

 attacked, causing a hard indented surface and making the 

 apple stunted in that part, and unsightly to the eye. This 

 disease also attacks the leaves. At that time Bordeaux 

 mixture was used to some extent and Smith decided on 

 this for his first experiment. 



Please remember that at this time spraying was in its 

 infancy and the man was generally regarded as foolish 

 who would spend good money and time in squirting poi- 

 son upon his fruit trees when he might be doing something 

 else, at that particularly busy season of the year. 



Nevertheless Smith got an inexpensive pump and 

 went to work to find out for himself. He sprayed care- 

 fully and painstakingly, watching the progress carefully, 

 and was delighted to note the number of healthy, young 

 apples that grew to maturity, when his efforts were re- 

 warded by greater quantities of larger and more perfect 

 fruit than he had ever expected to procure. 



Experience has taught him that the Experiment Sta- 

 tions thoroughly understand how to make the Bordeaux 

 mixture, as their formulas agree with those purchased by 

 his own hard labors, at a time when Experiment Stations 

 w_ere in their embryo stage. So far, the scab has been 

 his main trouble, but a careful spraying always insures a 

 healthy crop free from all disfiguring marks. Since that 

 first year, about seventeen years ago, he had been an ar- 

 dent advocate of spraying, and three years ago purchased 

 a l'/2 h. p. water-cooled gasoline engine sprayer mounted 

 on a wagon with 250-gallon tank. When talking to the 

 writer some time ago, he made the statement that he 

 "would purchase another just like it if this one were de- 

 stroyed. 



Spray pump manufacturers 

 now issue a great deal of 

 interesting and instructive litera- 

 ture on the subject of spraying, 

 and large sums of money are annu- 

 ally expended by them in the ex- 

 ploiting of their pumps. They are 

 always willing to forward cata- 

 logues and literature to anyone in- 

 terested in the subject. 



Smith now receives a price 

 very near the dollar mark for his 

 regular apples, and about $1.25 for 

 his fancy grades. In former years 

 (before he sprayed) he considered 

 himself fortunate if he secured 50 

 to 60 cents per bushel. His success 

 has induced many other farmers in 

 that vicinity to enter in the fruit 

 growing business, so that a large 

 volume of apple business is now 

 coming from that part of Ohio, 

 and commission men who formerly 

 had to be sought after are now 

 attracted to that section, the apples 

 are marketed with no trouble what- 

 ever, and the best prevailing prices 

 are secured. All of this business 

 may be attributed to the spraying 

 which Smith started years ago, and 

 without which he would have had 

 neither high grade fruit, in fact, no 

 trees at all. 



In spraying he uses proportions of 4 pounds of cop- 

 per sulphate (blue vitriol) and 4 pounds of quicklime (not 

 air slacked) to 50 gallons of water. The sulphate is sus- 

 pended in cheesecloth in a barrel of water and after it 

 has been thoroughly dissolved this is poured into another 

 mixing barrel, a bucket at a time, simultaneously with the 

 same quantity of milk of lime, about six bucketsful of 

 each ingredient being of sufficient strength for a tank of 

 250 gallons. The agitator is then started and the liquid 

 thoroughly stirred up, and then the spraying is started 

 in earnest. Smith's outfit will empty a 250-gallon tank 

 in about three-quarters of an hour. He sprays just before 

 the buds swell, then again when the blossoms are fertile, 

 and again when the blossoms have dropped from the trees. 

 Indications would point that the farmers of today are 

 taking better care of their orchards than those of past 

 generations, and that they are awaking to the fact that 

 it will pay them to watch these same orchards more close- 

 ly. The amount of fruit annually spoiled by insects and 

 fungus growths is estimated at five hundred million dol- 

 lars, a sum almost beyond comprehension, and every bit 

 of this wealth could be given to the country eye'-y year, 

 if our farmers would wake up to the possibilities within 

 themselves and take care of their orchards, or at least give 

 them a little more care than they do now. 



