SPRAYING OF CROPS FOR PROFIT. 



BY PROF. S. T. MAYNARD, POMOLOGIST TO THE BOARD. 



The longer any crop is grown in one locality, or the 

 greater the extent to which it is grown, the more will it be 

 subject to injury by insect and fungous pests. It is often 

 remarked that the number of insects and fungous pests is 

 rapidly increasing, and this is too often true ; so rapidly do 

 they sometimes increase that our crops would be total fail- 

 ures did we not promptly apply remedial or preventive 

 measures. 



One season, under conditions favorable to their increase, 

 insects and fungi are abundant, doing serious harm ; while 

 in another season the conditions are such that these pests 

 are destroyed by cold, by too much moisture, by scant 

 food supply, by parasites or other enemies, and little or no 

 damage is done. 



We sometimes have a series of years when insect and 

 fungous pests are abundant, and also those when no injury 

 is done. In the first case we are liable to become discour- 

 aged, while in the second we are led to think that it is all a 

 matter of chance, and not worth while to make an attempt 

 to protect our crops. 



This is, however, an unthrifty method of doing business. 

 Our crops may escape injury this season, and possibly for 

 one or two years longer ; but there is scarcely a crop we 

 grow that is not at one time or another injured by one or 

 both of the above-named pests, and there are few, if any, 

 crops that we grow upon which there is so much profit in 

 growing that we can afibrd to lose even one crop. There 

 is but one safe business principle for the farmer, fruit 

 grower or gardener to follow, and that is, to be prepared 

 with and apply preventive measures whenever the condi- 

 tions are favorable for the development of insects and 

 fungous pests. 



