Spraying in Canada. 113 



I am also indebted to Mr. R. W. Starr, of Yfolfville, Nova 

 Scotia, who has taken the pains to write so complete an outline 

 of this branch of horticultural work in the Eastern section of 

 Canada, that the letter is given below in full : 



"I can scarcely give dates as to when spraying was first 

 adopted in this province, as the practice has grown up from 

 small beginnings with the fine rose watering-pot and garden- 

 syringe, using solutions of whale-oil soap, tobacco, or hellebore 

 to destroy the currant and gooseberry worm, and thrips on the 

 rose bushes. These methods were in use by the late Hon. C. R. 

 Prescott as early as in the forties at least, and I can remem- 

 ber some experiments of his with tobacco and the soap solution 

 to drive the curculio from his plums, but this was afterwards 

 abandoned for the malet and sheet. 



" In 1875, Mr. A. S. Harris, of Port Williams, who had been 

 fighting canker-worms for two years with poor success, got a 

 small brass hand-pump with single and double orifice nozzle 

 from New York. With this he sprayed his trees, using Paris 

 green, 1 teaspoonful to 10 quarts of water. This was so suc- 

 cessful that the next year every one who was troubled with 

 the canker-worm provided himself with a pump and arsenites. 

 Since then the use of the spray has been continuous where 

 needed, large, powerful pumps fitted to casks or tanks and 

 placed upon wagons being used for the purpose. The first of 

 these was gotten up by myself in 1880. I used a common brass 

 cylinder lift and force pump fitted with suction and delivery 

 hose. With this I tried nearly every kind of nozzle made ; 

 some are good and some are worthless. The Vermorel as it 

 is now made is, I think, the best for all purposes. 



" During the past four years spraying has assumed a much 

 more important place in our fruit industry than formerly. By 

 using the Bordeaux mixture and other fungicides with Paris 

 green, and spraying early and frequently, we find that we can 

 keep in check the black scab on the apple and pear, and the 

 black knot and rot of the plum, as well as destroy the insect 

 pests that seem to have been increasing proportionately as fast 

 as the fruit trees." 



Some of the first Canadian publications regarding the use of 

 fungicides appeared in 1888. 1 Then appeared formulas for 



1 Ann. Rept. Fruit Growers' Ats'n, 1888, 105, 152. 

 I 



