24 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
ting better every day and they are receiving much better 
prices than the early season reports indicated. 
Some of the most important points which the nursery¬ 
man should emphasize to the fruit grower are as follows: 
First, the simplicity of present-day spraying methods. 
Second, the relative low cost of spraying, especially 
when the greatly increased profit from sprayed fruit is 
compared with unsprayed fruit. Official experiments 
have shown that the cost of spraying materials for four 
sprayings of apple trees (15-20 years of age) will 
average from 9c to 13c per tree for all four applications 
of spray. Thus it will he seen that the spray materials 
are not high when you compare the great difference be¬ 
tween the profit from sprayed fruit and unsprayed fruit. 
The materials can he home-made or bought from reliable 
spray material companies. However, it will probably be 
more satisfactory for the small orchardist to buy his 
spray materials from a good company. 
In spraying commercial orchards, labor cost is the 
greatest factor, hut the small fruit grower very seldom 
considers the labor cost as it takes, relatively, a short 
time to spray his orchard. 
The third point that should he emphasized is the small 
cost of the necessary spray machinery. From reading 
the advertisements of the spray machinery companies in 
the fruit papers, the orchardist gets the impression that it 
is necessary to buy an expensive power sprayer, costing 
several hundred dollars. Of course, this looks big to him 
and discourages him from spraying. This is a mistake 
because a small orchard may he sprayed just as satisfact¬ 
orily with a barrel sprayer or a hand force pump as with 
an expensive gasoline power sprayer. A barrel sprayer 
will cost approximately $12.00 to $15.00 and will spray 
an orchard as large as 5 acres. The hand force, or hor¬ 
izontal pump, costs about $20.00 or $25.00 and will spray 
an orchard as large as 10 acres. 
The Frisco Railroad Horticultural Department carried 
on tests which proved that just as satisfactory results 
could be secured by spraying with a barret or force 
pump (if the work was done thoroughly) as when a gas¬ 
oline power sprayer was used. 
Now, as to the number of applications of spray which 
should he applied: For the small orchard, it is advisable 
to give all the trees a dormant spray every year, using 
commercial lime-sulphur, 1 gallon to 8 gallons of water, 
or one of the miscible oil sprays. It should be applied in 
early spring, just before the buds swell. This is good in¬ 
surance and will prevent scale from getting in the or¬ 
chard, and the cost is not large for a few trees. 
In a commercial orchard, it would not he advisable to 
go to the extra expense of applying a dormant spray if 
the orchard was free from scale, hut the commercial or¬ 
chardist is generally familiar enough with this subject to 
judge for himself. In addition to the dormant spray, 
apple trees should he sprayed two or three more times 
each season. 
If this method of spraying is followed it will keep the 
trees healthy and vigorous. The crop will be first-class 
and will bring profitable prices. Even if the fruit is 
grown for home consumption, the grower does not like 
to eat wormy apples any more than the man who buys 
fruit on the market. 
It is the nurserymen’s duty to encourage the orchard¬ 
ist to spray aside from the fact that the future of the nur¬ 
sery business depends on the success of the orchards 
already planted, which, to be profitable, must he sprayed. 
THE POPLAR TREES’ SOLILOQUY. 
Mabel Hemming. 
“Two striplings, when you planted us beside the garden 
gate, 
And we are very proud to think we’ve grown so tall 
and straight, 
We tower above the houses, and the other trees around— 
It looks a long long way to us from our top leaves to 
the ground. 
A'" , - fw. A • . ■ 
Within the garden where we’ve grown associations past- 
Rind us with many links so strong all through out life 
they'll last, 
For time must many changes bring and friends will come 
and go, 
Rut still beside the garden gate your poplar trees will 
grow. 
We’d rather give a better shade, hut contented we must 
be—- 
To grow up tall and straight instead, just like a “pop¬ 
lar tree” 
And fill the niche that nature made just as for us she 
wills 
Mite of the “Mighty Atom” which destiny fulfills. 
We love to watch the little hoys who play around at hall 
To us the happy times they have, are happiest of all 
And when old time has run its course and they’ve to man¬ 
hood grown 
“The poplars father planted” will be treasures all 
their own. 
Though storms may twist and turn our houghs, and 
bend us half way down, 
We’ll still rise up and hold our own, in spite of na¬ 
ture’s frown. 
And here’s the lesson we might teach, in everything “he 
straight.” 
Just like the “poplar trees” that grow beside the gar¬ 
den gate. 
The German Nurseries, Beatrice, Nebraska, are going 
out of the wholesale nursery business and will devote 
their equipment to the growing of high grade stock for 
their retail trade. 
We appreciate the valuable co-operation with the nur¬ 
sery trade by the “National Nurseryman.” 
Yours very truly, 
Texas Nursery Company. 
John S. Kerr, Vice President. 
We do not like to miss a number of your valuable pub¬ 
lication. 
Yours truly. 
Whiting Nursery Company. 
