The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyrighted 1902 by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated. 
“ No one variety can be the best for all purposes.” —Luther Burrank. 
Vol. XI. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., MARCH, 1903. 
No. 3. 
LATE FUMIGATION, 
Result of Experiments in New York^State Show That Trees Are 
Less Injured By Applications Just Before the Period 
of Budding Out Than at Earlier Sfages. 
The result of important experiments relative to late fumiga¬ 
tion of nursery stock are thus pointed out by Percy L. Huested 
of the New York State Department of Agriculture : 
LATE FUMIGATION OF NURSERY TREES. 
The published data recording the effects of strong fumes of 
hydrocyanic acid gas upon nursery stock is exceedingly 
meagre. The fullest accounts of tests at excessive strengths 
of gas may be found in the bulletins of the Maryland Experi¬ 
ment Station, and in “Fumigation Methods,” by Prof. W. G. 
Johnson. 
To determine what strength of gas is required to seriously 
injure nursery stock which has begun to break into leaf, an 
assortment of standard grades of peach, pear, plum, apple, 
grapes and currants were taken from nursery trenches and 
carefully fumigated upon dates between May 19th and 26th at 
strengths of gas varying from one to eight times the normal 
strength of one ounce of cyanide per hundred cubic feet of 
space. The stock was trimmed and carefully planted together 
with an unfumigated lot, and during the summer all received 
ordinary nursery tillage. 
The results were unexpected insomuch as dormant peach trees 
have been reported killed with less than the maximum amount 
of gas used, and it was generally supposed that stock so far 
advanced was more liable to injury than that entirely dormant. 
Only one tree died of the entire lot, though the higher strengths 
of gas killed the small amount of new foliage which was out 
at the time of treatment. 
The indications are, that precisely as was found concerning 
the action of oils and caustic soaps, trees are less injured by 
applications just before the period of budding out than at 
earlier stages. 
Cuts taken from the series of peach lots, each consisting of 
twenty first-class trees fumigated one-half hour at one, two, 
four, five and eight times the normal strength of one ounce of 
cyanide per hundred cubic feet, show the condition at time of 
treatment and after four months growth. 
In September the same trees were used in testing the effects 
of high strengths of gas upon bud sticks. The results of this 
test cannot be fully known until growth begins in the spring, 
but it is noted that buds fumigated with five ounces per hun¬ 
dred cubic feet, which was the highest amount used, have ap¬ 
parently united as well as unfumigated buds. 
The specifications of fumigation tests made May, 1901, are : 
The cyanide of potassium was fresh and 98 per cent pure. 
The suphuric acid tested 1.81 spec. grav. 
The proportion of acid and of water was to the weight of 
cyanide as 1.5 and 2.15 are to 1. 
The fumigator was of excellent construction, being of double 
lays of boarding, one layer tongued and grooved, with paper 
between the layers. The floor was the earth and the cover 
was brought down upon a four-inch padded surface and held 
by four levers. The capacity was 55 cubic feet. 
The time of all exposures was one-half hour. 
All trees were supposed to have been fumigated previously. 
FERTILIZING NURSERY LAND. 
In response to a query Prof. H. E. Van Deman says in 
Rural New Yorker : 
Land should be put in the best possible condition to raise a big crop 
of corn or wheat before it is planted to grafts for growing apple trees 
or any other nursery stock. In all probability a coating of stable 
manure would be of great benefit, because it contains humus as well as 
the other essential elements of fertility, potash, phosphoric acid and 
nitrogen. Subsoiling will be a decided advantage, as it loosens the soil 
to a greater depth than without it, and gives the tree roots a better 
chance to develop. Unless the land is now quite rich it will pay to 
apply a liberal amount of a good commercial fertilizer. This may be 
made by mixing and spreading, so as to have per acre 300 pounds 
muriate of potash, 500 pounds acid phosphate rock and 200 pounds 
nitrate of soda. This mixture will cost not far from $26 per ton. Re¬ 
peated plowing and harrowing will be labor well spent. 
DUST SPRAYING. 
Colman’s Rural World says : 
At the late Missouri State Horticultural meeting such good authori¬ 
ties as Col. Evans, R. D. Murray and others advocated dust spraying 
instead of liquid spraying. W. D. Maxwell, St. Joseph, an earnest 
advocate of dust spraying, said that he had found the results all he 
had expected. The benefits of spraying are not questioned, and now 
it is a mere matter of the best mode of application. The time is soon 
coming when buyers will not buy fruit at all unless it has been sprayed: 
and this is even now one of the first questions asked by them. Every¬ 
thing used in liquid may be used in dust. Lime is a good fungicide 
in itself. Dust goes through all parts of the tree, killing insects that 
may be in the air and covering both sides of the leaves with spray. 
Lime prevents any burning of foliage, and with a dust spray apples 
never show rust. The best conditions for using dust is when the 
atmosphere is damp and still, as it will adhere better to the foliage, but 
one can spray at any time. As a rule, spray just before the buds 
open, and then as soon as blossoms drop., and once a week thereafter. 
STARK BROTHERS’ EASTERN BRANCH. 
F. E. Williams Nursery Co., Dansville, N. Y., write: “We 
have sold our nursery interests to Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards 
Company, of Louisiana, Mo., and assume the management of their 
eastern branch ; but we feel that we need the National Nurseryman 
more than ever. Enclosed find $1.00 in renewal of subscription.” 
