Galloicay. 



GEAPE MANUAL. 



Treatment. 57 



the season, at a time when a careless use of 

 the Bordeaux mixture miglit spot the fruit. 



The eau celeste will in all cases have to be 

 used with caution, as it is likely to injure the 

 foliage, except in some few favored regions. 

 It may be put down as an unsafe fungicide, 

 and for this reason had perhaps better be left 

 out of consideration entirely. 



WHEN AND now' TO APPI.Y THE FUNGICIDES. 



Before giving directions for the application 

 of the fungicides the importance of keeping 

 the vines in vigorous condition hy fertilization 

 and cultivation of the soil, pruning, etc., 

 must be emphasized. In other words, the 

 vines should be aided in every way to resist, 

 as far as possible, the attacks of the many 

 parasitic foes to which they are subject. The 

 careful vine3'ardist will attend to this, and as 

 a result he will find that the health of his 

 plants may be maintained with much less 

 difficulty. 



For the prevention of black rot, make the 

 first application of Bordeaux mixture just as 

 the leaves begin to unfold. When the leaves 

 are one-third grown make a second applica- 

 tion of the same fungicide, following with a 

 third when the vines are in full bloom. After 

 this, applications should be continued at in- 

 tervals of ten or twelve days, until the first 

 signs of ripening are noticed. This will 

 usually be three weeks or a month before the 

 grapes are ready to pick. In no case should 

 the treatment be continued up to the time of 

 harvest, as this is entirely unnecessary, and 

 moreover it is sure to render the fruit un- 

 sightlj'. It is important to bear in mind that 

 in case of dry weather the sprayings should 

 cease. 



If it is desired to use the ammoniacal solu- 

 tion or modified eau celeste instead of Bor- 

 deaux mixture the applications may be made 

 in the same way as recommended for the lat- 

 ter fungicide. If the ammoniacal solution or 

 modified eau celeste be used at all, it would 

 perhaps be best to apply them toward the 

 latter part of the season, as already sug- 

 gested, after making the first two or three 

 treatments with Bordeaux mixture. 



In regions where black rot, downy mildew, 

 brown rot and anthracnose occur together 

 the treatment recommended for black rot will 

 answer for all. Where downy mildew and 

 brown rot occur alone, and such regions are 

 comparatively few, the first application of the 

 fungicides may be postponed until the fruit is 

 well formed. Anthracnose has proved more 

 difficult to treat than black rot or downy mil- 

 dew ; in fact no thoroughly reliable pre- 

 ventive for this disease has as yet ))een 

 discovered. 



For powdery mildew flowers of sulphur 

 will probably prove the cheapest and most 

 eflticient preventive. On the Pacific coast, 

 where, as already pointed out, the parasite in 

 question is most to l)e feared, the sulphur 

 should be applied from one to three timea 

 during the growing season, the number of ap- 

 plications depending on the severity of the 

 attacks of the fungus. The vines should be 

 carefully watched and at the first appearance 

 of the mildew on the lower leaves or fruit, an 

 application of sulphur should be made. If in 

 ten days or two weeks the disease still seems 

 to be on the increase, a second application 

 should be made, followed by a third if neces- 

 sary. It is customary to make the first ap- 

 plication when the shoots are four to six 

 inches long, the second when the vines are in 

 bloom, and the third when the fruit begins to 

 ripen . 



Powdery mildew does comparatively little 

 injury in the eastern United States, and for 

 this reason it is doubtful if it would pay to 

 use sulphur, excepting in localities where the 

 vines are not being sprayed with other fungi- 

 cides. It is believed that where Bordeaux 

 mixture and also the ammoniacal solution are 

 used for black rot and other diseases the pow- 

 deiy mildew Mill cause very little injury. 



As to the methods of applying the fungi- 

 cides, it may be said that much of the success 

 of the work depends on the thoroughness 

 with which the preparations are put on. In 

 other words, good spraying machines are 

 necessary. In fact the importance of this 

 matter can not be too strongly urged. At 

 this time a spraying outfit should be a part of 

 the equipment of every fruit grower, or, as is 

 no doubt frequeiith^ the case, a number of 

 growers might combine and purchase such a 

 machine and use it in common. 



It has been pointed out in various publica- 

 tions (Farmers' Bull. No. 7, U. S. Dept. of 

 Agr., and others) by the writer that a 

 sprayer to be effective requires first of all a 

 good strong force pump. Next in importance 

 is a nozzle that will throw a mist-like spray 

 and will not clog when thick fluids are used. 

 There are plent}' of machines on the market 

 filling all these requirements. For conven- 

 ience they may be divided into three classes : 

 (1) horse-power automatic machines; (2) 

 machines drawn by horse power, but ope- 

 rated by hand ; and (3) hand machines. All 

 belonging to the first group are unnecessarily 

 expensive and complicated, and will not do 

 the work as thoroughly and effectively as the 

 machines belonging to the second and third 

 groups. Of the second group, in which the 

 cheapest and most practical and efficient exam- 

 ple is found in a strong, light, double-acting 



