826 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



meiit given each plot and the results obtained, the various 

 plots are numbered from one to thirteen, while the columns 

 which represent the various applications are lettered from A 

 to D as follows : 



"A" represents the first application made February 27 to 

 March 4. 



"B" represents the second application made April 30. 



"C" represents the third application made May 15. 



"D" represents the fourth application made June 1. 



"E" shows per cent of infested fruit at picking time. 



The first application was made just as the buds were swell- 

 ing; the second soon after the blossoms fell; the third when 

 the fruit was about one-half inch in diameter ; and the fourth 

 when it was approximately one inch in diameter. 



FOR 



"E" 

 99 

 99 

 100 

 100 

 95.4 

 95.4 

 89.3 

 56.4 

 28.3 

 75.9 

 96 

 96 

 99 



A glance at this table leads to the conclusion that the 

 results of the season's work were far from satisfactory. This 

 is not true. Upon visiting the orchard shortly before the fruit 



TABLE I. SHOWING RESULTS OF SPRAYING 



PEACH FRUIT SPOT IN 1907. 

 Plot "A" "B" "C" "D" 



Fig. 



III. Fruit from Sprayed Tree. Only One Small Basket Infected. 



IV. Fruit from Unsprayed Tree. But Two Baskets of Clean Fruit. 



Figs. V. and VI. The Sprayed Portion of tlie Orchard Produced a Fair 

 Crop (1907). 



was to be gathered and making a critical examination of the 

 various plots, we were much impressed with the very marked 

 differences in the fruit on the sprayed and unsprayed trees. 

 'I he fruit upon those trees which had received all four appli- 

 cations appeared to be almost absolutely free from spots, 

 while all of that upon the unsprayed trees was more or less 

 infested and much of it was worthless. Moreover, the foliage 

 of the sprayed trees was in much better condition and the 

 trees were evidently more vigorous. The results were so 

 marked that casual visitors to the orchard noted them and in- 

 quired the cause. The discrepancy between these observations 

 and the final results as exhibited in the above table is explained 

 by the fact that in estimating the percentage of infested fruit, 

 only two grades were considered, viz : "clean" fruit and 

 "infested" fruit. A single spot upon a peach, while it would 

 scarcely impair its market value, was sufficient to class it with 

 the culls. Therefore, while much of the infested fruit from 

 the unsprayed trees was practically worthless (Fig. 1), nearly 

 all of the so-called culls from the trees which had received 

 the four applications could have been marketed as second, 

 and much of it as first grade fruit (Fig. 2). Had the fruit 

 been sorted into commercial grades instead of into "clean" 

 and "infested" fruit, the results as tabulated would have been 

 much more favorable for the sprayed trees. 



Moreover, the facts gleaned from the above table became 

 important when we came to plan the work for 1908. 



The results obtained upon plots 3, 4 and 13 indicate very 

 clearly, that so far as controlling peach fruit spot is concerned 

 an application of lime-sulphur solution or of Bordeaux mix- 

 ture before the buds open is worthless. Reference to plots 



