CONFERENCE ON SPRAYING OF FRUIT TREES. 



345 



be treated in the same way as a warm dry climate ? If you have a wet 

 climate and do not spray in winter, take my advice and do not start fruit 

 growing ; you will not succeed. I wish to say that I hope one of the 

 results of this Conference will be that some attempt may be made at 

 getting a standardization of these washes. That is what we want. We 

 do not merely want to know of such and such a wash, but we want to know 

 what the ingredients are which should go into the wash — what we should 

 write to the chemist for. I hold very strongly that we ought to prepare 

 our own washes and sprays from our own materials whenever we can do 

 so. I was once sheltering in a public-house during a very heavy snow- 

 storm in the North of Ireland : it was Fair day, and they were dispensing 

 drinks freely. The landlord had a very potent brand of whisky and I 

 said that I would try it ; but he said as an aside, " I don't advise you 

 to." I said, "What is it?" and he replied, "I doub! if its own 

 maker knows, I don't. I only know that it is the cheapest I can get." 

 And that is what has been going on with regard to these washes. We 

 experiment with washes which we do not know anything about the 

 composition of, and we ought to have a standardization of the materials 

 in it. Are we going to stand up and say that such and such a wash is 

 insufficient ; it is of no use, don't try it ? Prepare it yourselves with 

 standardized materials which you know are right, and then report on 

 it. Then some faith may be had in the results you have met with. 

 I think a lot of conflicting views arise from the fact that we do not 

 know what we are using ; we only know its name, but we do not know 

 the standard of it. 



Under the Department of Agriculture for Ireland we have been 

 making extensive experiments in inducing the small farmer to grow fruit. 

 Some of them have been at it a little before on some of the farms and 

 fields where these orchards are which belong to the Department. The 

 Department has planted an acre, which is under the control of an 

 inspector, where spraying must be done. I can only assure you that the 

 farmer has reaped an advantage in many cases. In some cases you can 

 see the unsprayed tree in his orchard that is older, and the sprayed tree 

 that is younger ; and the difference will leave no doubt in your mind as 

 to whether spraying is desirable or not — you will never have two opinions 

 about it. Not only is spraying necessary, but I believe continuity of 

 spraying is necessary ; and I think that the immunity from pests of all 

 sorts, in direct opposition to some views we have heard, in well-worked 

 orchards, is due to a reasonable continuity of spraying. I do not mean 

 taking up the line that you should spray your trees often, but spray 

 them regularly, with a good compound, and you will never regret the 

 results of it. That is, I believe, the most essential and important point 

 in fruit growing. 



One word more as regards American gooseberry mildew. There was 

 a laugh when that matter was first mentioned ; but it is no laughing 

 matter ; it is the most serious pest that has attacked fruit during the 

 memory of anyone here ; the rapidity with which it will devastate the 

 country side is beyond belief. There has been a question asked as to 

 what the remedy for it is. Several suggested that there was a remedy. 

 There is a remedy so far as we can find out from experiment, and the 



