34 BULLETIN" 969, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



grower to abandon his adopted schedule, since a matter of a few days 

 one way or the other is not likely to affect the ultimate results to any 

 marked extent. 



Above all, the fruit grower should pay particular attention to 

 spraying for the first-brood larvae and make every effort to poison as 

 many of these as possible. - If all of the first-brood worms were 

 killed there would be none of the second or third broods with v/hich 

 to contend. Upon inspection of their orchards early in the season, 

 fruit growers sometimes conclude that there are so few worms pres- 

 ent that it is unnecessary to make additional spray applications for 

 the first brood. Unfortunately, it is not always realized that the 

 presence of a comparatively few larvae early in the season will often 

 result in large second and third broods, which frequently will cause 

 an enormous loss despite the most thorough subsequent spraying. 

 The fruit grower should therefore bear in mind that during the early 

 part of the season, while the fruit is small and the skin is not very 

 waxy, it is easier to coat it thoroughly with poison and thus kill the 

 worms than later in the year when the apples have grown larger 

 and the skin has become smoother. Unless the fruit grower makes 

 every effort to reduce to the minimum the number of first-brood 

 larvae, he will have small chance of success against the later broods. 

 Neglect to spray with thoroughness and timeliness against the first 

 brood of worms can never be economically or successfully overcome 

 by sprays applied late in the season. 



SPRAY MATERIALS. 



Arsenate of lead at the rate of 1 pound of the powder or 2 pounds of 

 the paste to 50 gallons of water is recommended as the most satis- 

 factory poison for use against the codling moth. For convenience in 

 handling and storing, the powdered product is preferable to the paste. 



Although the experimental data did not always indicate that the 

 addition of fish-oil soap to the arsenate of lead spray was of value, it is 

 believed, nevertheless, that the use of soap, 2 pounds to 50 gallons, will 

 generally increase the efficiency of the spray on account of the spread- 

 ing qualities of the soap. Soap, however, should never be used with 

 strongly alkaline water. 



SPRAYING EQUIPMENT. 



To spray the orchard as quickly as possible during the critical 

 periods, it is recommended that a power sprayer of ample capacity 

 and capable of supplying three leads of hose with a pressure of 225 to 

 250 pounds be used. In spraying large trees a spray tower, erected on 

 top of the outfit, will enable the operator to cover the upper parts of 

 the trees more thoroughly. A tank filler is almost a necessity and 

 each sprayer should be provided with this device. It is also important 



