172 DECIDUOUS FRUIT INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES. 



THE O'TOOLE PEAR ORCHARD AT ALVISO, CAL. 



This orchard lies on a road intersecting the Alviso and Milpitas 

 Roads about 6 miles north of San Jose and is, strictly speaking, in 

 the Alviso section of the Santa Clara Valley. The soil is entirely 

 "made soil," the orchard itself being surrounded by a high levee. 

 The type of soil is a very rich sandy loam styled "Fresno sandy 

 foam" on the map by the United States Geological Survey. This 

 orchard, 30 acres in extent, is composed of six varieties of pears and 

 the trees are some of the finest hi the State of California, many of 

 them reaching a diameter of 8 to 10 inches at the base. 



During the years 1910 and 1911 the writers have, through the 

 courtesy of Mr. George Reed, manager of this orchard for the Ander- 

 son Fruit Co., been able to obtain figures on the wormy and non- 

 wormy fruit. Mr. Reed, in talking with the authors, stated that 

 the orchard usually contained from 15 tc 60 per cent wormy fruit 

 before it was placed in his hands, even when sprayed for the codling 

 moth. The early Bartlett pears were seldom extremely wormy, but 

 late varieties, such as the Winter Xelis and Easter Beurre, frequently 

 had more wormy pears than clean ones. 



One peculiar fact relating to this orchard should be mentioned 

 here. The west and north sides are closed in by a levee of the Coyote 

 Creek, which is about 10 feet high. This has caused the orchard to 

 blossom and mature its fruit about 10 days earlier than other orchards 

 in the vicinity and has therefore made earlier spraying necessary also . 



Spraying operations. — A power outfit was used both years at a 

 high pressure and arsenate of lead as a poison at the rate of 2 pounds 

 to 50 gallons of water. An old spraying outfit was used in 1910 and 

 a new one in 1911; consequently much better work was done in the 

 latter year. 



In all of the spraying large-chamber nozzles were used, one to each 

 spray rod. All of the work was done from the ground, the men using 

 12-foot rods and 50-foot lengths of hose. 



Since no check on the spraying was left, no figures are presented 

 here on the cost of spraying and the benefit derived, but a summary 

 is given of the wormy and sound fruit of the trees examined under 

 each variety. 



Season of 1910. — The fallen fruit was collected under five trees 

 weekly throughout the season and examined for the entrance place 

 of the worms on each of the six varieties. (See Table LIX.) 



