Agriculture 
ARSENICAL POISONING OF FRUIT TREES 
In Bulletin 131 of this Station, issued in July 1908, were recorded 
the results of our studies to determine the cause of the death of many 
of our apple and pear trees. Professors Paddock and Whipple had 
addressed themselves to this subject for some years, and were unable 
to satisfy themselves that any of the well known causes usually pro¬ 
ducing the death of trees could be appealed to as the actual agents in 
these cases. Mr. Whipple, now professor of horticulture in the 
Montana Agricultural College, had sought for fungus and bacterial 
troubles in vain. The results of our observations forced us to the 
conclusion that the cause was not to be sought in the soil per se for to 
quote Prof. Whipple’s words, “Soil conditions seem to have no rela¬ 
tion to the disease, as it is found on all kinds of soils.” 
While I recognize the fact that it is necessary to control the in¬ 
sects injurious to our crops, I have entertained grave misgivings in 
regard to the ultimate effects of spraying arsenic on our trees and soils 
and when the other members of this Station, men thoroughly compe¬ 
tent to determine the facts, found none of the causes usually producing 
disease in trees present in these cases, I became more deeply impressed 
with the probability that the trouble was primarily due to the action 
of the arsenic applied to the trees as a spray. I gave in Bulle¬ 
tin 131 a definite experience with a case in which it was charged 
that arsenic, lead and copper had been the c?use of the death of trees, 
grass and even of animals eating the grass, and I am fully convinced that 
AN EXPLANATION. 
In Bulletin 131 , Arsenical Poisoning of Fruit Trees, I did not give the 
location of any orchard or the name of a single owner, nor have I. given 
either in the following pages. My reasons for this are the following: 
I think that it would be a gross injustice to the owner of an orchard to 
publish a statement of his misfortunes or unwise practices throughout the 
sitate and nation by means of an Experiment Station bulletin. If the 
statements made are all true, it only makes matters worse rather than 
ameliorates them. Unscrupulous neighbors might take advantage of 
such statements to do the party named, injury. I have been treated 
kindly by the orchardists in connection with this work, however, I under¬ 
stand that I have been the innocent cause of injury. The fact that I 
was interested in the study of an orchard problem, not arsenical poison¬ 
ing, was made the basis of dishonorable representations which did the 
owner a serious financial wrong. It would, in my estimation, be wholly 
unpardonable to name the properties of men who have given me aid 
in this investigation when I know that it would be doing them an injury 
and requiting kindness by inconsiderateness and ingratitude. I have 
not, in any way, concealed or distorted a feature of the problem, but 
I have purposely used examples from different sections and different 
orchards in order that I might present the whole case—but by no means 
all of the different facts—without doing anyone an injury. Tf T have 
succeeded I shall be pleased, if I have failed I can only regret it. 
W. P. H. 
