Effects of Spraying. 345 



to magnify its importance out of all proportion to 

 other accustomed operations of fruit-growing. The 

 practice has been hailed as a positive means of mak- 

 ing orchards fruitful. As a matter of fact, how- 

 ever, it makes orchards fruitful only when the cause 

 of unfruitf illness is incursions of insects and fungi. 

 It will not correct the faults of poor tillage, nor of 

 insufficient plant-food, nor of unprofitable varieties, 

 nor of neglect in pruning. In other words, it is 

 only one of the various elements which enter into 

 successful fruit-growing. Wholly aside from its 

 direct and immediate importance, spraying has had 

 an emphatic secondary influence in waking up the 

 horticulturist. Any movement which sets a man 

 to thinking very strongly along one line is likely 

 to awaken his interest in cognate subjects. So ii 

 happens that spraying has been one of the means 

 of rapidly diffusing a better knowledge of horticul- 

 tural operations. Some of the directions in which 

 this secondary influence of spraying is bound to 

 enlarge the horticultural horizon may be stated as 

 f ollows : 



1. The necessity of spraying calls the attention 

 of the grower to the reasons for the recent incur- 

 sions of pests. Spraying was unknown in his boy- 

 hood days. Why is it so imperative now? This 

 opens a volume of suggestion, and will lead the 

 questioner to consider the fact that insects and 

 fungi are constantly changing their habits from one 

 plant to another, as the native plants are destroyed 

 and as the area of cultivated ones is increased, and 



