320 The Principles of Fruit-growing 



faults of poor tillage, nor of insufficient plant-food, nor of 

 unprofitable varieties, nor of neglect in pruning. It is 

 only one of the various elements that enter into success- 

 ful fruit-growing. There is a tendency in fruit writings 

 to give relatively too much space to spraying. 



Aside from its direct and immediate importance, spray- 

 ing has had a very marked secondary effect in waking up 

 the horticulturist. It has raised the standard of intelli- 

 gence. Any movement that sets a man to thinking very 

 strongly along one line is likely to awaken his interest in 

 related subjects. So it happens that spraying has been one 

 of the means of rapidly diffusing a better knowledge of 

 horticultural operations. Some of the ways in which this' 

 secondary influence of spraying has enlarged the horti- 

 cultural horizon may be stated as follows: 



1. The necessity of spraying calls attention to the 

 reasons for the recent incursions of pests. Spraying was 

 unknown in his boyhood days: why is it so imperative 

 now? This opens a world of suggestion, and leads 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 culti- 

 vated plants is increased, and that the continuing com- 

 merce with all parts of the world constantly exposes us to 

 new dangers. Pests that suddenly overwhelm the planta- 

 tion may have been breeding in imobserved numbers in 

 the neglected places for many years. The ideals of the 

 fruit-grower are also higher now. Competition has 

 increased, demands have been refined, and the smallest 

 blemish on a fruit is enough to throw it out of a first-class 

 article, whereas years ago it might have passed with- 

 out comment. 



- 2. The necessity of spraying is forcing a new discern- 



