April 12 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
266 
SPRAYING AND SCALD ON GREENING APPLE 
It is reported by some cold storage men that since 
spraying became general the Greening apple is more 
likely to scald when put into cold storage. Has this been 
your experience? 
It lias been our opinion for some time that even 
under the best care and cold storage we can command 
Greenings do seem to scald much earlier than former¬ 
ly. We have been unable to locate the cause. We 
have never thought it was in consequence of spraying. 
Philadelphia. j. d. Hendrickson. 
We cannot see how spraying will increase the liabil¬ 
ity to scald. The apples should go into cold storage 
before they get heated in the barrel to avoid scalding. 
We do not think spraying has anything to do with it 
except that the apples being cleaner may show scald 
easier or plainer when scalded. 
Toronto. the dawson commission co., ltd. 
We have interviewed several storage operators and 
none believes the spraying would tend to weaken the 
Greening for storage. One said it seemed the apples 
were rather more liable the past few years, but hardly 
attributed it to spraying. He thought the apple picked 
too late would be more liable to scald. The fruit 
should be picked early in full vitality and is then not 
likely to scald up to middle of February. 
New York. s. h. & e. h. frost. 
I do not believe that spraying has anything to do 
with scald on apples. We have had them in common 
storage and in cold storage same season sprayed and 
unsprayed, and some of the sprayed apples and some 
of the unsprayed scalded in both places and some 
came through clean. I believe that scald is generally 
due to apples being heated, or that the original heat 
has not gone out of them. I think that if Greening 
apples can be taken from the trees direct to cold 
storage and heads of barrels either taken out or venti¬ 
lated, held at a temperature of 30 degrees, that they 
will not scald before March, and perhaps later, de¬ 
pending somewhat upon the apples. Sometimes the 
Greenings are more susceptible to scald than other 
times. What causes this difference we have never 
been able to determine. b. j. case. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
In my opinion such scald cannot in any way be 
traced to spraying; spraying is done when the apple 
is very small, and the only effect then is to kill the 
insect. How can it affect the properties of the fruit 
which is growing for several months afterward? 
Scalding of Greenings put in cold storage is, in my 
opinion, attributable to the soil in which the apple 
was grown in some districts, where they cultivated 
under the trees. Such apples are not good keepers, 
nor so clear in their appearance as apples that are 
grown on grass land. I have had great experience as 
to keeping qualities of fruit, both in England and on 
the Continent, and there are counties in England 
where cultivation of small fruits is carried on under¬ 
neath the apple trees; from these districts apples 
have no keeping qualities, but in other places where 
the land is laid down to pasture and well manured by 
sheep and pigs throughout the Winter the apple is 
clearer and brighter, and has a much better keeping 
quality. To my mind the explanation is that in one 
district a continual stirring of the soil has kept the 
fibrous roots from coming to the surface after water 
and sun, and in some cases the roots bleed by such 
cultivation. On the other hand, those small fibers 
have come to the surface, and have been benefited by 
both the manure on the surface and the sun; and the 
best answer to this would be the effect of scald on 
Greenings placed in cold storage from the two dis¬ 
tricts as described above. w. n. white. 
New York. 
It is my opinion that the spraying has nothing what¬ 
ever to do with the keeping qualities of Greening 
apples. We cannot see under any conditions how the 
liquid could have any effect upon the fruit. The lat¬ 
ter gets its nourishment from the tree long after the 
liquid has been used. Ever since we have been in the 
handling of apples, more than 30 years, there have 
been years when the scalding was more than others. 
There are some dealers who will not hold Greenings 
as long as others. Only a year or two ago Greenings 
in March, I think, came out in excellent condition, 
while other years they have been badly scalded by 
January 1. In my opinion it is more than likely the 
scalding is caused by the care of the apples after leav¬ 
ing the trees. I realize that it is possible that either 
a wet or dry season may have something to do with 
the scalding, but the opinion prevails in this section 
that the sooner apples are put into cold storage after 
leaving the tree the longer they will keep, and in bet¬ 
ter condition. The “sweating process” and the lying 
of apples under trees for a few days are to be discour¬ 
aged completely. 1 would go so far as to advocate 
packers following the pickers immediately. Since 
writing the above I have seen several of our dealers 
who put apples away in cold storage, and every one 
disclaims any possible damage towards scalding from 
the tree being sprayed. Each one remarks that it is 
caused by the attention after picking. Most of them 
seem to think the delay in getting the apples into the 
barrels has more to do with scalding than any other 
thing. A. WARREN PATCH. 
Boston. 
THE “DUST-SPRAYING” METHOD. 
In the great apple growing districts of the West and 
Southwest, experiments are being made with dust as 
compared with liquid spraying. The dust is blown upon 
the trees by means of an air blast. 
The Machine Broke Down. 
My attention was first called to the “dust sprayer” 
at our annual meeting in 1900, where a machine was 
exhibited. Our members were so impressed with the 
A MASSACHUSETTS ELM. Fie. 101. 
possibilities of this machine that five that I know of 
were ordered, three of which were for the Society’s 
experiment stations. The machines were poorly con¬ 
structed in some parts, and would not stand the 
strain, and mine broke down right in the midst of 
main spraying. Before it was repaired it was too late 
to make satisfactory comparative tests, and so I am 
unable to express any opinion on the subject which 
can be supported by facts. I think this is about the 
history of the other two machines bought for the So¬ 
ciety. We shall give them another trial this season. 
Very fine dry slaked lime is the dust used, and with 
it is combined Paris-green, blue vitriol, sulphur, etc., 
as desired. With this machine a strong blast is made, 
and a cloud of dust which permeates everything as 
only dust can. It is necessary to work with the wind, 
of course. I think the general impression among 
those who have seen the dust spray in use is that it 
will have its place in orchards where it is not prac¬ 
ticable to get around with heavy loads of water, in 
wet seasons when too wet for heavy teams, and when 
A YOKE OF TWIN STEERS. Fis. 102. 
work is behind, and possibly for frequent applications 
for rot on plums, apples, etc., but that it will not sup¬ 
plant the liquid spray for general use. However, if it 
will there will be a great saving of time and labor. 1 
do not think the small bellows machines would be of 
any value in an orchard. l. r. bryant. 
Sec. 111. Hort. Society. 
Cautious Statement from L. A. Goodman. 
I am slow to say much about “dust spray” because 
I do not yet feel sure that it is as efficient as the liquid. 
In fact, it has not been tested long enough to say ex¬ 
actly how valuable it is. Our entomologists and best 
informed men on fungus diseases give it as their, opin¬ 
ion that the “dust spray” is not as efficient as the 
liquid. But it is applied so much more easily and 
quickly than the liquid that we can dust the orchard 
twice or three times with the same expense as one 
application of the liquid. We can get on the ground 
when it is so wet that we could not haul a load of 
water. The hand dusters are easily handled, and the 
work can be done after a rain or mist, or while the 
dew is on early in the morning. We often dust from 
4 to 8 A. M., and give the men a half day for the work. 
Lime (air-slaked, fresh) is the base to carry the in¬ 
secticides and fungicides. I am sure also that lime is 
good for both these; it is a good insecticide, and it is 
a good fungicide, and this year we shall test it alone 
on a 40 or 80-acre orchard. 1 have used the dust 
process; first, in a small way, three years ago; sec¬ 
ond, on 40 acres two years ago, last year on over 240 
acres. This year we shall use it on over 400 acres. 1 
used one pound of Paris-green to 10 pounds of lime; 
shall use only half that strength this year, as well as 
lime alone. I used the dry Bordeaux for fungicide, 
one pound to 10 pounds of lime. I shall use this year 
20 pounds lime, one pound Paris-green, one pound Bor¬ 
deaux. We used five “hand dusters” and one 
“Jumbo” to go in a spring wagon. We dusted three 
times, and feel sure that it paid us to do so. We were 
compelled to use something besides liquid, because we 
had no water handy, and we shall continue to do so 
in our young orchards. While I cannot say that the 
dust is as valuable as the liquid, yet I think, from our 
experience, that we can prevent the insects and fun¬ 
gus diseases if we will follow it up systematically, 
especially on our young orchards, where these pests 
have not yet secured a hold. In an old orchard, badly 
affected with these troubles, I do not think we could 
check their ravages so quickly or thoroughly. All 
this work I speak of cautiously, because I do not yet 
feel sure of results, but there is no field of experiment 
that will pay so well to enter and test as this very one 
of “dust spray.” There will be many tests made this, 
year in parts of Missouri. l. a. Goodman. 
Sec. Mo. Hort. Society. 
Why Dust Spraying is Practical. 
The manufacturers of “dust sprayer” appliances are 
booming that method of administering fungicides and 
insecticides this season to a greater extent than ever 
before. The idea, I believe, is good, but the appliances 
for spreading the dust are still rather crude, especial¬ 
ly such as are within the means of the multitude of 
small growers. The dust “sprayers” came into exist¬ 
ence in response to an imperative demand from the 
managers of our very large orchards for some plan 
that would enable them to spray their entire orchards 
at the proper times at a reasonable expenditure for 
help and for machinery. The largest orchards of 
Missouri are located in the southern half of the State, 
mostly in the elevated so-called Ozark region, where 
water is often very scarce during the dry season of 
the year, or at least so difficult to obtain as to make 
it impracticable to provide supplies of it in the or¬ 
chards where it is needed. Besides the waste of valu¬ 
able time in going long distances for supplies of water, 
the weight of the liquid itself is no inconsiderable 
matter, and the rough and rolling condition of the 
land makes it often well-nigh impossible to haul the 
water and do the work. The dust is light, and large- 
quantities of it can be carried through the orchards 
witn ease. I think orchardists will use the dust as a 
matter of necessity, not of choice, and that they be¬ 
lieve it is not so effective as the liquid, especially after 
diseases or insects have begun to work, but think its 
chief value lies in being a preventive (of fungus dis¬ 
eases). I should not like to advise the man with only 
a few trees to pay out much money for a duster at the 
present time. To apply the dust properly, special pre¬ 
cautions must be observed, the principal one being 
that the trees must be moist. This makes it necessary 
to apply the aust very early in the mornings and not 
try to do the work during the heat of the day. There 
are many dusters (“sprayers”) on the market, but the 
principle of all of those giving satisfaction is pretty 
much the same—that is, some kind of a fan to create 
a violent current of air, the dust being fed into this 
current through an aperture which can be regulated 
at the will of the operator. We conducted experi¬ 
ments last season in the way of making comparative 
tests of the efficacy of the dust and liquid, but the 
terrible drought came on and prevented our getting 
any results at all, there being neither insects nor rots 
in our experimental orchard. We shall repeat the tests 
this season. w. l. iioward. 
Mo. Exp. Station. 
THE GREAT ELM.—This tree stands in the town 
of Lancaster, Mass., and is the largest tree in the 
State, being 40 feet in circumference. It is very tall 
and beautifully proportioned. It stands on the inter¬ 
vale, so called, near the Nashua River, in a pasture all 
by itself where it has had a chance to grow for per¬ 
haps 100 years. It formerly stood beside a public road, 
but is now about 30 rods from the highway. In the 
picture, Fig. 101, you may see the writer standing by 
his horse’s head. The horse weighs 1,050 and he is 
hitched to a two-seated carriage, the hind wheel of 
which shows in part on the other side of the tree. The 
horse and carriage are close to the tree. e. w. l. 
Lancaster, Mass. 
