The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-03-25
SPRAYING FRUITS.
why, HOW and when to Do 1t.
r wM. sTAHL, QUINCY, ILL,

/ L Chu sptuk Oh spraying from eAperlence-dn
experience in this linz, believe, as exen i've as
that Of any person in the country first expert
mented IN spraying eight years ago. Then, as
now, was extensively engaged in buying and
shipping fruits as well raising them. That
gear the black rot Of the grape was very bad in the
localities from which usually shipped this fruit.
In fact, about the only marketable grapes that |
found that year were on the strip OF sandy ground
between the bluffs and the river at NauvOo, ILL.,.
point that for forty years has been the center Of
noted grape-growing neighborhOod. That year
the rot ruined the crop on the upland, bluI lands.
I The grapes on the sandy strip inst spoken Of
/ brought me as high as 500 a basket, in the St.
/ Paul and Minneapolis markets. They were so
profitable to the growers as well as to me that
was set to experimenting to prevent rot. Among
other things tried spraying, using quite Il num-
[ berof mixtures-some had heard OF and some
| original with myself. But did not get the right
remedy until the season o, 1898; that season |
| sprayed IN small, experimental way with the
bordeaux Mixture. The results were such that
the next season | made my experiments with it
more extensive, That year twas clearly demon
stfated to me- and to some of The neighOoring
winners, that had found the remedy had SO
long sought. The result was that in 1890 quite q
number OF us sprayed aud a yet greater number
sprayed the past season, while the past season we
ala the work better, as the result OF increased
confidence and experience Let others speak Of
the results. Says the Nauyoo Rustleri
! "Ail are satisfied as 10 the virtues of spraying,
as tLoie that have not sprayed this season have
lost from ~ 10 % per cent Of their crops from the
than from u per cent. The efficiency Of spray
ing apple peach, pear, cherry ind plum trees have
been established also among our hOrlCulturists,
ana heFthter the spraying u their trees will no
DOUBT be general us all cOncrde that the secret OF
success mas not only been discovered but also
demonstrated before their very eyes"
Last September the editor Of the Farmers Call
visited my fruit fields. aud us result of his visit
wrote tlls IN his paper:
I'VE do not think we have ever before seen
grape vines 80 heavily laden and not one grape in
hundred was affected with the rot: while only a
snort distance away, vineyard on the same soil
ana uhder Ike conditions, except that they had
not been sprayed, were badly affected with the
rot that their crops will not be worth gathering
In some vineyards n row, or u part of row,
through the middle had not been SPRAYED, as q
test, and in every case the vines not sprayed were
Dadly Injected with the rot and the fruit will not
be worth the gathering; while on either side the
i0Hase OF those sprayed was little affected and
tney were heavily lOnded with Wengh perfect
trult Undoubtedly the fullest plum tree we have
ever seen was one that had never matured crop
before on account of the curcuo etc. 1t was
thoroughly sprayed this year and the result was
an enormous yield and OF perfect fruit Mr.. Stahl
mas demonstrate ed beyond doubt tn 1t the codling
moth. canker worm, ample aud plum curculio,
pear ana ounce leaf blight, grape roCand milo dew,
etc', can De preVeh.ei or destroyed by spraying
with the proper mixtures"
what has been my experience has been the ex-
perience OF many, Doubtless you are familiar
WIN the experimental work in spraying that has
vi UNIV ny lut department OF Agriculture and
the state experiment stations So lar as | have
Deen able to learn the results of this experimental
work have been altogether favorable to spraying
would not underestimate the importance and
value OF TINS experimental work consider it es-
sentlal 10 The steady advancement of our agricul-
tural and horticultural interests Yet. | must
confess. attach Il higher value 10 the mass of
evidence That have collected in the shape OF per-
sonal letters to me from more than one thousand
Irult-growers that have tested SPRAYING the past
season-held tests. not tests of a few feet but
Jesus OF acres bi practical men in the actual bus
mess OF irult-growing. 1t is impossible for me
10 quote IRON amy considerable number of these
letters Your time viii not permit nor will it be
necessary But can not refrain from Giving an
extract from the letter Of Mr. Frank Wellhouse,
o. nairinouht, TINS state the largest apple grower
In me country. lie says:
we sprayed about three acres on the 18th of
April, or just before the buds opened, us an ex-
pertinent. Our object in this was to kill the cam
ker worm tent cater illar and arnish plant bug,
III OF Which were at work ut that time and we
succeeded but we accomplished The same thing
by spraying after the bloom had dropped Spray,
| ing commenced in earnest on the 18th OF April
| WIN three machines and was finished Oh the 9th
OF May. We sprayed 100 acres twice, equal to 90
Acres once, aud 2I1 acres three times equal to 81
acres once or II total of Lis acres Mt n single
| spraying To do this we used GO,O0J gallons Of
wafer ana pounds of London purple and IL
! took 10 DAYS to do the spraying; 20 that the ex.
| pehse stands thus Forty-siX DAYS with team at
! &0O per day, Sil5; COO pounds London purple at
~ cents per pounJ $50; total S175 little over
| 10 cents per acre, and about u mills per tree for
| ench spraying We think we can reduce this ex-
pense another year mt least onefourth, and posi-.
! DlN one'thlrd by fixing our ponds of wafer more
conveniently, and few other changes The can
ker worms were getting too thick in one block of
| trees ana we entirely destroyed them. The tent
! caterpillars were numerous in Places and but
| rev OF them We're left alive. The tarnish plant
pug. nugs We're thick and dld US serious damage last
year but this year, nfter we had SPRAYED the sec.
on time, we could not find any OF them alive
| tully 0O per cent OF the cooling moth were de-
stroyed-some observers say u per cent"
| Others bear stronger testimony. Pardon me II
quote from one or two other letters. Mr.. L.
Clark, Usage City, Usage County, Kan says:
=. Wv IN the sprayer got Of you sprayed Jona-
than. Wine Sap, Cluster, Janet, Stark, Ben Davis,
of worms; have the finest crop OF apples that
ever had. had to prop the trees, but still the
limbs broke on lots Of them. My whole crop will
make me ~ per cent of fine apples clean of worms.
| compared my Ben Davis apples with my neigh
boris, mine being " little above so per cent clean.
while his were 20 per cent wormv. | had one
plum tree, Lombard. four years old around which
| had TO build scatiold to hold up the fruit. 1t
mad at least I'VE bushels Of fine plums on it. while
| my neighbours plums all rotted and fell Of
would not take 300 for my sprayer and do with
out II, for have gained 70 per cent over last
year"
And writes Mr.. John r. Williams, Of Lawrence,
| Douglas Co.. Kan:
II sprayed all my apple trees-about 300. They
are eight years old, Last year and the year before
they bore, but not so heavily The fruit was
mostly large and smooth, but nearly every apple
bad worm in it. This year the trees are very
full, the apples are large, smooth and nicely col
ored, and think not more than one in twenty.
five has worm in It, ! noticed one tree OF Jon.
athans Il have about thirty Of them) which stood
near the fence 80 that could spray but one side
OF II. the apples on the side did not spray were
nearly oil Wormy. Those could reach were all
right sprayed but once, just as the bloom was
falling. also sprayed NY plum trees about fifty
Wild Goose and Minor They have borne very
large crop OF plums, the incest In our market
and none worIny. am so well pleased with nv
experience In spraying that am glad to have an
opportunity Of telling 1t. 1t pays"
Now, tn. point is. how were these results OBJ
tained and Mt what cost. You will note that Mr.
Welhouse found the cost Of spraying his orchard
to be, per spraying, II little over is cents per
acre. This will be about the average cost Tor
while Mr. W. got his London Purple cheap on ac-
count OF buying so much, he made the solution
very strong, too strong think. The remedy for
the canker worm codling moth and curculio OF
the apple and the curculio OF the plum-and 1t is
an effective remedy-is the London Purple Solu-
ton. made by mixing one pound OF London Pur-
pie with sufficient water to make paste; this lie
then strained thoroughly into pail OF water and
allowed to stand over night This is next
strained through a coarse clotn or fine sieve into
100 gallons OF water for use. Fifty gallons OF
his will spray an acre OF tho average orchard
cents. Trees should be sprayed with the London
1 Purple soon after the blossoms fall-when the
apples are the size OF pea-nnd again in q week
or ten days. To destroy the plum curcuio
spray three or four times ut intervals Of week or
ter days. beginning as soon as the blossoms fall
For the black rot and mildew OF the grape,
pear and ounce leaf blight, potato blight or rot
the Rordanuv Miyturp is uspd niadn M fol