Effects of Spraying. 345 
to magnify its importance out of all proportion to 
other accustomed operations of fruit-growing. The 
practice has been hailed as a positive means of mak- 
ing orchards fruitful. As a matter of fact, how- 
ever, it makes orchards fruitful only when the cause 
of unfruitfulness is incursions of insects and fungi. 
It will not correct the faults of poor tillage, nor of 
insufficient plant-food, nor of unprofitable varieties, 
nor of neglect in pruning. In other words, it is 
only one of the various elements which enter into 
successful fruit-growing. Wholly aside from its 
direct and immediate importance, spraying has had 
an emphatic secondary influence in waking up the 
horticulturist. Any movement which sets a man 
to thinking very strongly along one line is likely 
to awaken his interest in cognate subjects. So it 
happens that spraying has heen one of the means 
of rapidly diffusing a better knowledge of horticul- 
tural operations. Some of the directions in which 
this secondary influence of spraying is bound to 
enlarge the horticultural horizon may be stated as 
follows: 
1. The necessity of spraying calls the attention 
of the grower to the reasons for the recent incur- 
sions of pests. Spraying was unknown in his bhoy- 
hood days. Why is it so imperative now? This 
opens a volume of suggestion, and will lead the 
questioner to consider the fact that insects and 
fungi are constantly changing their habits from one 
plant to another, as the native plants are destroyed 
and as the area of cultivated ones is increased, and 
