230 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
ADVICE ON PURCHASING NURSERY STOCK 
J. G. Moore, Wisconsin 
Be Willing to Pay a Good Price. It is a very serious 
mistake to try to cut the cost of the trees too much. Cheap 
trees are usually poor trees. It is not necessary to pay 
exorbitant prices in order to get good trees, but it is better 
to pay exorbitant prices and get good trees than to buy 
poor trees at cut rates. The original cost of the tree is of 
minor importance to its ultimate value. Ten or even 
25 cents saved at the start by buying an inferior tree is 
usually expended several times later on in trying to make a 
good tree out of a cull, and usually with very little success. 
Ten cents per tree increase in cost is only about $7.00 an 
acre, and very often means the difference between success 
and failure. Paying a high price for a tree does not neces¬ 
sarily mean that it will be a good one. Pay enough to get 
the best and then refuse any which do not come up to the 
standard. 
Another item which increases the cost is replacing stock. 
The general practice of Wisconsin nurserymen is to replace 
stock which dies the first season. In order to do this they 
add considerable to the real price of the tree in order that 
nothing will be lost by replacing. Such a practice invites 
carelessness in handling and setting the trees. In addition, 
it works a hardship on the careful man because he is com¬ 
pelled to help pay the cost of his neighbor’s carelessness. 
Almost always the grower will find it worth while to carry 
his own risks if he orders good trees and is careful in planting 
them. In writing for quotations on trees he should 
state that he does not want his trees “guaranteed,” and the 
nurseryman will make a considerable reduction from his 
regular price. Many nurseries outside of the state do not 
“replace” stock which dies the first year, and in comparing 
prices with those quoted in the catalogues of our home 
nurseries this should be taken into consideration. 
LIME SHOULD NOT BE ADDED IN SPRAYING 
In using the concentrated sulphur washes from which 
the sediment has been removed by settling or filtering it is 
common to add some lime to the diluted solution to give 
body and make the mixture visible on the trees. Is this a 
good practice? Chemical analyses say not; for when 10 
pounds of lime for 50 gallons was added to each of four solu¬ 
tions of different strength, all within the range of common 
spraying practice, the soluble sulphides were diminished and 
both the sulphate and free sulphur increased. In one case 
the percentage of sulphur in sulphide form dropped from 95 
to 59 per ct. and where the decrease was smallest the 
change was from 96 to 84, a loss of one-eighth in sulphides. 
COMMERCIAL MIXTURES EXAMINED 
In all, five brands of commercial lime-sulphur mixtures 
were studied, four in liquid form and one a fine powder. 
Of the liquid preparations, three brands,—Grasselli, Rex 
and Thomsen, contained little or no sediment and were all 
similar in appearance to the liquid portion of laboratory- 
made samples; while on the other brand,—Niagara— 
contained widely varying amounts of sediment in the four 
samples, in liquid similar to the others.”—Expt. Sta. Bull. 
ORCHARD ENEMIES 
{Continued from page 2iy) 
“Leave the base of the trees exposed for a few days now, 
to toughen the outer bark and then, before again drawing 
up the soil, spray very thoroughly with a lime-sulphur, 
arsenate of lead mixture, to which an excess of lime has 
been added. Use one pound paste arsenate of lead to every 
five gallons'of lime-sulphur, or one pound of dry arsenate 
to every ten gallons of lime-sulphur and apply with all 
the force possible to the exposed crown and for a distance of 
eighteen to twenty-four inches above the surface. Then 
cover and hill up at least six inches around the trunk after 
the application is thoroughly dry. The strength of the 
lime-sulphur wash may be that of the ordinary winter spray 
with double the required amount of lime.” 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
This scale is nearly circular in outline and about the size 
of a pin head. When abundant it forms a crust on the 
branches and causes small red spots on the fruit. It 
multiplies with marvelous rapidity, there being three or four 
broods annually and each mother scale may give birth to 
several hundred young. The young are born alive and 
breeding continues until late autumn, when all stages are 
killed by the cold weather except the tiny, half-grown 
black scales, many of which hibernate safely. 
Spray thoroughly in the fall after the leaves drop, or 
early in the spring before growth begins, with lime-sulfur 
wash. When badly infested, make two applications, one in 
the fall and another in the spring. In case of large old trees, 
25% crude oil emulsion should be applied just as the buds 
are swelling. Geneva, N.Y., Bulletins 262, 296 and 320. 
LEAF BLISTER-MITE 
The presence of this minute mite is indicated by small 
irregular brownish blisters on the leaves. . Spray in late fall 
or early spring with the home-made lime-sulfur solutions, 
I gal. in 10 gals, of water. Geneva, N.Y., Bulletin 306. 
SCAB 
Commonly known among growers as the “fungus.” 
Attacks both leaf and fruit, usually most evident on the 
fruit. Spray with lime-sulfur, 1-40, or with Bordeaux 
3-3-50: first, just before the blossoms open; second, just 
as the blossoms fall; third, 10 to 14 days after the blossoms 
fall. In most seasons the second spraying seems to be the 
most important. Spray thoroughly. Whether a third ap¬ 
plication is necessary is determined by the season. 
