FRUIT BLOSSOMS 
391 
blossomed. The young worm crawls to the 
blossom end and enters the apple, burrow¬ 
ing into the interior. After feeding for 
about four weeks the worm deserts the 
apple, and spins its cocoon under the 
rough bark or in a sheltered place. The 
last of July or early in August the second 
brood of moths appear. These moths in 
turn deposit eggs, which in due time hatch, 
and the worms enter the apples thru the 
side. There are thus two broods of worms. 
The second brood of worms do not trans¬ 
form to moths until the following spring 
after the trees have bloomed. 
There are three well-defined periods 
when the trees should be sprayed. Spray 
for the first time ten days after the drop¬ 
ping of the white petals, while the green 
calyx lobes still remain open and the new¬ 
ly set fruit stands erect. Direct the spray 
so that it will fall into the calyx cup and 
lodge there; for, as it is at this point that 
the worm enters the fruit, it will eat the 
poison and die. The first treatment is 
more efficient than all subsequent treat¬ 
ments. Spray for the second time about 
three weeks after blooming time, when the 
eggs of the codling moth are beginning to 
hatch. Spray for the third time during the 
last of July or early in August, when the 
second brood is hatching and preparing to 
enter the fruit. If in the first and sec¬ 
ond sprayings Bordeaux mixture is used 
as a carrier of the poison, these treatments 
will prevent apple scab. 
HOW BEES ARE KILLED WHEN THE SPRAY 
FALLS OH COVER CROPS IN ORCHARDS. 
While many commercial orchardists em¬ 
ploy clean cultivation, — i. e., the ground 
under the trees is frequently harrowed and 
no vegetation is permitted to grow—other 
fruit-growers sow cover crops. In many 
localities these crops are of great benefit in 
protecting the roots of the trees from sun, 
wind, and drouth, and in furnishing both 
humus and fertilizer. A variety of legumi¬ 
nous plants are grown for this purpose, as 
alfalfa, red clover, crimson clover, vetch, 
and yellow annual sweet clover. 
In western Colorado red clover has been 
extensively used as a cover crop. The 
poisonous spray applied to the trees falls 
on both the leaves and flowers of the 
plover. In the arid climate of this region 
water is difficult to obtain, and the bees 
eagerly gather the poisoned water found 
on the cover crops and are destroyed in 
immense numbers. In 1914 and 1915 whole 
apiaries perished, particularly in the vicin¬ 
ity of Montrose; while other colonies were 
so weakened that they yielded no financial 
return. 
The spraying of cover crops presents a 
new and serious problem, the only remedy 
for which seems to be the cutting of the 
cover crop before it blooms or ploughing 
it under, or the use of some crop that will 
not come into bloom when the trees are 
sprayed. 
LAWS AGAINST SPRAYING FRUIT BLOOM. 
A number of States have passed laws 
against spraying fruit bloom, but they 
have not proved entirely effective. Where 
the penalty is low, from $15 to $50, it is 
often ignored, owners of commercial spray¬ 
ing outfits preferring to pay the fine rather 
than to stop work. Beekeepers, moreover, 
hesitate to incur the trouble of enforcing 
the law. In general, education will be 
found more effective than legislation. Self- 
interest will prevent a well-informed fruit- 
grojver from spraying the bloom. Let him 
once fully understand that the production 
of fruit depends upon the pollination of 
the flowers by bees, as explained in the lat¬ 
ter part of this article, and he will be as 
eager for their protection as the beekeeper 
himself. But there will always be a few 
orchardists who will persistently remain 
ignorant and who will resent any restraint 
on their operations, insisting that the bees 
are not injured or are not needed. A few 
unprincipled owners of spraying outfits 
and ignorant employers may become a 
menace to an entire community. An edu¬ 
cational campaign will not suffice in such 
cases, and the beekeeper should be pro¬ 
tected by a law imposing heavy penalties 
for spraying the bloom of fruit trees, while 
provision should be made for its enforce¬ 
ment by a state official. 
POLLINATION OF FRUIT BLOOM.* 
In former years beekeepers and fruit- 
* In order to understand better the structure of 
the flower it is suggested that the reader turn first 
to the subject of Pollination of Flowers. It 
will also serve to illustrate the different methods of 
pollination referred to in this article. 
