2 MAINE AGRICUI,TURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I4. 



As a rule we have found that with the Ben Davis spray 

 injury from bordeaux mixture was so severe that it equalled or 

 more than offset the beneficial effects derived from the control 

 of apple scab. W'hile a much better grade of fruit from the 

 standpoint of keeping quality and freedom from disease has 

 been the invariable result from trees sprayed with this mate- 

 rial the russeted appearance of the skin materially reduced its 

 market value. In other words, while the injurious effects of 

 bordeaux mixture and certain other sprays upon the fruit of 

 susceptible varieties like the Ben Davis are concerned almo'st 

 wholly with the appearance of the fruit and not with its keep- 

 ing quality or value as an article of food, the price it will bring 

 on the market is just as effectually reduced as though the lat- 

 ter were the case. If the selling price of apples depended more 

 on the quality of the fruit and less on the appearance of the 

 skin certain of the difficulties now experienced in spraying 

 would disappear. 



The difficulties encountered in spraying apple orchards are 

 not restricted to spray injury of the fruit however. It is a well 

 known fact that the leaves of certain varieties are frequently 

 injured by sprays and that the occurrence and severity of this 

 injury is markedly influenced by seasonal climatic conditions in 

 the ease of bordeaux mixture. During the 5 seasons that this 

 Station has experimented with this spray on Baldwin and Ben 

 Davis trees at Highmoor Farm leaf injury has been experi- 

 enced in some degree each year, and some years it has been so 

 severe as to result in a decided leaf drop in mid-summer. For 

 the main ordhards, consisting of some 2300 trees it became 

 necessary to abandon its use altogether. 



The question of the proper fungicide to use is by no means 

 the only important matter involved in efficient orchard spraying. 

 Insecticides are necessary and it is both necessary and con- 

 venient to use them in combination with fungicides. New 

 forms of both of these are constantly being recommended and 

 the orchardist is urged by manufacturers of various proprietary 

 compounds to substitute these for the materials already in use, 

 on the ground of their greater efficiency, economy, or ease of 

 use. Often these are placed on the market without being suffi- 

 ciently tested by their makers, under a variety of conditions, 

 to determine their effects on the foliage and fruit in combina- 



