Spraying the Home Orchard 
Many people think that a spraying program is too complicated for a home 
orchard, but at the present time there are so many easily handled prepara¬ 
tions on the market, so many efficient types of small sprayers available that 
it is no more trouble to spray the home orchard thoroughly than it is to keep 
the home garden in good condition. And just a small amount of spraying 
will make a tremendous difference in the quality and amount of fruit produced. 
It is best to have a dormant spray at least once every 2 or 3 years before 
trees come into bearing. This spray can be applied any time during the 
winter in mild weather. Commercial Lime Sulphur at the rate of 1 gallon 
to 8 gals, of water is standard strength. Also dormant oil sprays are good. 
However, in order to simplify spraying by having one mixture, to follow 
the dormant spray, and give fair results on all kinds of fruit trees in the 
home orchard, we are suggesting the following all purpose home orchard 
spray. This is a milder spray than is recommended for certain conditions 
but it should give satisfactory results. The materials are — Arsenate of 
Lead, 1% lbs. to 50 gallons of water (or *4 lb. to 10 gallons). To this mix¬ 
ture add a mild form of sulphur product (often called “wettable sulphur”) 
offered by various manufactures under different trade names, such as 
Flotation, Kolofog, Mike” Sulphur, etc., using the strength recommended by 
the manufacturers. These are called “Mild Sulphurs”. Apply throughly. 
The time of application and number of sprays to be used is dependent 
upon many factors, but the following should be a good general program for 
application of this spray. 
1 - Just before the blossoms open. 
2-Just after the blossoms drop. 
3 - Ten to fifteen days after the second spray. 
4 - Eight or nine weeks after the blossoms drop. 
FERTILIZING 
At planting time, manure or fertilizer may be used around young trees 
on top of soil or slightly worked in the top soil (not near roots). Nitrogen 
is an essential plant food and in most soils it is the most necessary clement 
needed to assure you vigorous growth. Nitrogen is usually supplied in the 
form of manure, cover crops and Nitrogenous compounds such as Nitrate 
oi Soda, or Sulphate Ammonia. Either of these is a good, quick acting 
fertilzer. Cyanamid is another form of Nitrate. This is usually applied in 
the Pall after growth stops. Furthermore, some Experiment Stations are 
lecommending Pall applications of all three above named nitrogen fertilizers, 
although most growers still apply Sulphate of Ammonia and Nitrate of Soda 
in the Spring as mentioned above. It is applied at the rate of % of a 
pound for newly planted trees, increasing of a pound each year until 
maximum amount of 5 pounds is reached when trees are about 15 years old. 
Sulphate of Ammonia is similar to nitrate of soda but contains about 20% 
more available nitrogen and should be used in correspondingly smaller a- 
mounts. Applications of these fertilizers should be made about 2 weeks be¬ 
fore blooming time, and should be broadcast over surface of ground covered 
by branches but not close to trunk of tree. 
1 he use of the so-called complete commercial fertilizers containing Nit¬ 
rogen, Phosphate, and Potash in various forms are also beneficial to many 
soils. They will increase the growth of the cover crop which automatically 
increases the available plant food when the cover crop is plowed under. 
CULTIVATION It is very important to cultivate — particularly newly 
planted trees. However, mulching is a good substitute for cultivation. The 
ideal arrangement is to plant your Home Orchard and grow vegetables and 
other cultivated crops between the rows of the trees. Regular cultivation 
of the vegetables will automatically cultivate the trees. Keep the soil culti¬ 
vated, particularly after rains, so that no crust will be allowed to form. 
MULCHING A mulch of manure, straw, dried grass or similar material 
to conserve the moisture during latter part of summer can be used instead 
oi cultivation. Use plenty of manure around young trees. 
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