SPRAYING FRUIT TREES. 337 



CHAPTER IV. 

 Spraying Fruit Trees. 



FRUIT TREES and bushes have so many enemies that the 

 up-to-date fruit grower may be said to wage continual 

 war against insect pests and fungoid diseases. At any 

 rate, he has to be constantly on the watch for the first 

 sign of attack, and ever ready to meet it with the most 

 effective weapon with which modern science can supply 

 him. Fortunately he is much better equipped for the 

 fray nowadays than he could be even a few years ago, 

 for keen brains and skilful hands have been at work to 

 learn the life histories of the pests and diseases, to dis- 

 cover spraying fluids calculated to destroy them with the 

 minimum of injury to the trees, and to devise cheap and 

 efficient machinery for the application of such remedies. 

 It must be confessed that there are still some troubles 

 for which the pruning-knife and the fire are the only 

 remedies, but for the great majority spraying with suit- 

 able materials provides a cure or preventive. 



A Necessary Evil. Spraying is the great modern 

 weapon against orchard pests and diseases. It may be 

 looked upon with disfavour, for it is often unpleasant 

 <vork, and expensive and laborious where large areas 

 have to be dealt with ; but at least it is a necessary evil, 

 for without its aid it is impossible to grow healthy crops. 

 Naturally it assumes greatest importance where fruit is 

 grown on a commercial scale, for competition is nowa- 

 days so keen that only first-class fruit is really profitable, 

 and trees and bushes under field cultivation seem to be 

 more liable to insect and fungoid attacks than those grown 

 in the more congenial atmosphere of a well-tilled garden. 

 Indeed, the market grower has come to consider spraying 



