24 



■what the trouble is on these russet apples [indicating] and 

 how it can be controlled ; and I want to ask at the same time 

 whether it is natural just around here, or whether you get 

 it in New York State. 



DR. WHETZEL. This is the sooty blotch, caused by a 

 fungus which lives only on the surface of the fruit and does 

 not go in as deep even as the scab. It is a verj'- common 

 disease wherever apples are grown, especially on trees that 

 are not thoroughly pruned, not opened up enough, or stand- 

 ing in a low situation where the atmosphere is apt to be 

 moist. The remedy for this is opening up of the trees and 

 spraying thoroughly, spraying as for apple scabs, especially 

 the application made ten days or two weeks after the blos- 

 soms fall. I j 



MR. HALE. Those were sprayed twice. 



DR. WHETZEL. You want a later application, prob- 

 ably, than you made. 



MR. HALE. I think probably that is it. 



MR. WHETZEL. Yes. Along in the middle of the 

 summer, ten days or two weeks after the blossoms fall, will 

 undoubtedly catch that. The only injury to the fruit is 

 making it unsightly. It doesn't injure the fruit itself. You 

 can rub it off if you rub hard enough. 



MR. HALE. They are just as good, but they don't 

 seem to sell so well. 



DR. WHETZEL. Now; that is the trouble. Here 

 [indicating] is a spot on an apple that I can't diagnose. 

 There are a large number of fruit spots on apples which 

 have come into prominence recently, not that we haven't 

 had them before, but that we are getting more particular 

 than we used to be and we didn't use to see these at all. 

 The price makes a great difference in your eyesight. 

 [Laughter]. All apple growers have much better eyesight 

 today than they used to have. 



PRESIDENT FROST. I will state for Dr. Whetzel's 

 benefit that the apple I picked up a while ago and showed 

 to the convention I picked out of a« Oregon box in one of 



