The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-10-19
RESULTS OF SPRAYING.
Newspaper Bulletin No. lo.l

In June of the present year the ento
biological department of the Experiment
Station undertook experiments to de.
termine the efficiency OF spraying with
paris green in preventing the destructive.
ness of the codling moth, the parent Of
the worIn so injurious to the apple crop
of Nevada. Efforts in this direction
have been made in previous years, but
they have been confined to one, or at
most, few trees at place. In some of
these cases the result was very satisfac.
tory, while in others it was but partially
so. This variation in result. has with.
out doubt been chargeable to lack Of
care in the application OF the poison.
The results in these cases that were
satisfactory were quite apt not to be
considered as indicative of results in field
practice, owing to the small number OF
trees treated in each case. Thus it was
to determine the cause OF former failures
and to make the conditions of the expsr.
iment conform as nearly as possible to
those of actual field practice that the
following work was performed.
A block of forty eight trees in the
orchard OF A. B. Williams, on Sixth
street, Reno, was selected for treatment,
the remaining portion OF the orchard
being left untrested to serve as check
upon the work. To improve the condi.
tions of the experiment in this respect
the two adjacent rows of the two portions
of the orchard are of the same variety
1.-THE Ben Davis, and each was well
laden with fruit The poison used was
paris green in water mixture at the
strength Of one pound to 225 gallons of
water. During the process Of applica.
tion much care was taken that as
complete mixture as possible and thus
uniform strength, should be maintained.
While care in this respect permits the
fruit to receive more nearly uniform
treatment, it is most important in pre-.
venting the injury to foliage due to too
great strength of poison, which tends to
settle in the bottom Of the vessel from
which it is drawn.
The first application was made June
lst and I'd. The row OF Ben Davis
trees was given a second treatment on
! June Oath. The remaining trees thus
received but single application, that of
June LIST and I'd. At the time of the
first treatment the blossoms were falling.
On the second application the average
size of the fruit was that of walnut.
An examination of the orchard in the
second week in September, when fairly
careful observation Of the trees was made
in passing from one to another. resulted
in there being found less than dozen
examples of wormy fruit on the tree,
which had received the preventive treat.
ment. Therow twice sprayed apparently
had been much benefited by the second
application.
An examination of the portion OF the
orchard not sprayed showed large per,
centage Of the fruit to be wormy. Thi,
was particularly noticeable on the row o
Ben Davis trees adjoining that Of the
same variety which was sprayed. The
fallen fruit naturally showed greater
percentage injured, but the relative pro
portion OF such in the two parts OF tn,
orchard seemed not materially differen,
from that in the fruit still on the trees
1t is to be, noted that the examination
was not close one. Greater care in thi
respect would have revealed more injured
fruit from the trees experimental upon
However, the effect Of the work wa
noted very much as it would be ordinaril,
in picking the fruit The result of SINH
lar spraying by Mr.. VIM. E. Gould il
his orchard east Of town Is very satisfac
tory. Here, too, there appea RS q notice
able difference in favor of trees spraye,
twice over those receiving a single appli
cation.
1t is believed that one Of the most irn
portant factors in tho work In each Q
]. these cases was the use OF the "exten
sion" pole by which the spray nozsls va
brought in close proximity to the youn
fruit, thus permitting it to become thoI
oughly wetted.
While exact information ON the abov
results is not available. sufficient can b
determined to make them very sstisfac
tory, and the scale upon which the worl
was undertaken gives fair indication O
, what may be hoped for 10 this method
F. H. HILLMAS.
Agricultural Experiment Station
; Reno. New. Oct Q. 1909.