114 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



while they are standing in the ground. Don't think lime is as good 

 as kerosene. Would rather use naphthaline as a museum pest protector. 

 Don't think the direct action of the aphis will rot the roots of a tree, 

 but the galls formed thereon will give a chance for their decay. The 

 following is a method of making a first-class emulsion : one gallon 

 kerosene, one pound of soap ; churn with force pump and add ten 

 gallons of water. Fresh milk can be used instead of soap if so de- 

 sired. As a rule the aphis does not attack large trees, but prefers to 

 work on smaller ones. Generally they work on the top in summer 

 and on the roots in winter. Two or three applications of the emul- 

 sion mentioned will kill these pests. The tree cricket and the larvee 

 of the lace-winged fly feed on aphis. Plant lice increase at all times 

 whenever opportunity oifers. 



Stephens — It is the business of the commercial orchardist to guard 

 against late spring frosts. We do this in our orchards by having 

 '• smudges" of straw, litter, coarse manure, and anything that will 

 burn piled up in different parts of our orchard, ready when the op- 

 portune moment comes to be sprinkled with kerosene and set on fire. 

 We usually have our men — or one or two of them — stay up all night 

 when there is danger of frost, and about four o'clock in the morning 

 they fire these "smudges," if necessary, which causes a dense cloud of 

 smoke to fill the orchard and prevents the morning sun from injuring 

 fruit that may have been frosted. I have noticed trees leaning to the 

 southwest do not sun-scald. We wrap our trees three or four years, 

 and if this is attended to no trouble arises from sun-scald. We also 

 plant fourteen feet apart north and south for the same purpose. We 

 have noticed that late spring frosts do more damage than sun-scald. 

 In 1878 our first bloom appeared April 18th, now they do not come 

 until in May. We retard the blooming by close planting and by 

 seeding the orchard to clover, letting the second crop fall and lie on 

 the ground. Set the trees leaning toward the southwest and head 

 them low, eighteen inches to two feet. 



Masters — I should call four feet very low. 



Stephens — We had trees headed about four feet and lost all of them 

 from sun- scald. Then we purchased 1,100 trees of Mr. Barnard; 

 these were low headed, and we have them nearly all now. Mr. Wil- 

 liams' orchard, planted twelve feet apart, yielded at the rate of 

 1,700 bushels per acre. 



