The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-06-12
Ghelrmorraf-S Star
SPRAYING FRUIT TREES.

In a recent number Of the Practical
Farmer, Joseph Mcchan, its horti-
cultural editor, makes the above his
heading subject. He says:
1t has been proved so conclusively
that spray ing of fruit trees with
LIQUIDS prepared for the destruction
of insects and bliehts is so entirely
effectual, that a revolution in fruit
growing is now taking place. The
washes are composed of pOisonS, and,
from this fact, it was a good while be-
fore the public believed they could be
safely used. Perhaps the first use of
poisons in this way, in this country,
was for the destruction Of the potato
bug. 1t is now more than ten years
since the French grape growers were
assured of the efficacy OF p0isOns in
preserving their crops. from expert
ments they made. Fungus diseases
were what they had to combat, For
many years previous they had lost
their crops. Experiments led them
to discover the value Of copper sui
plate.
From that time to this the fame
of this remedy has been gradually
growing. To-day, in u country, all
progressive fruit growers use 1t. APP
pie, plum and other fruit crops which
used to suffer largely from insects and
fungus attacks, are now assured crops.
1t has given an impetus to the raising
of fruits, which is being felt already
in the increased quantity OF fruit sent
tomarket. Theonc who sits down and
allows his trees to take care of them
selves is making a great mistake, and
will be badly beaten BY his ncighbor
who is alive to spraying.
COPPER suLPHATE SOLUTION.
The copper sulphatc spoken of is
for the destruction Of fungus attacks.
Grapes have been the most benefited
by this. The black rot and mildew
of the leaf were the two great pests
to be overcome, and this the sulplatc
did. TO make the solution tit for
spraying, the following is the process:
Take six pounds copper sulphatc and
four pounds |Quicklime and place in
about fifty gallons Of water. The
trees and vines are to be sprayed with
this several times throughout the sea-
son. The first application should be
Just as the buds are bursting, again
when the foliage is well expanded.
Should rains occur, to wash off the
mixture, a third spraying should be
given after the lapse of three or four
weeks, otherwise it may 90 for six
weeks. Generally this is sufficient to
protect the foliage and fruit thor
oughly for the rest of the season.
Such fruits as suffer from insect at
tacks need Il solution of Paris green
and water. About a pound Of this
poison to $50 gallons of water is sutli-
cicnt. The Goblin moth, which de-
stroys the apple crop: the c%urculio,
which does the same for the plum and
the cherry, as we'll as all other insects,
are destroyed by spra.ing this over
the trees. 1t should be used for the
first time Just as the flowers drop
from the trees, for this is when many
of the insects appear. The fruit is
p%uncturcd by the insect, and the egg
is deposited, which gives place to the
grub or worm, which working about
in the fruit, aust it to fall off. The
mother insects appear about the time
the flowers fade, and remain in the
vicinity for three or four weeks ut Il
time, seldom longer than this. There
fore, spraying with Paris green need
not be kept up later than this. Two
sprayings are usually sufficient.
AN INsECTICIDE AND rUNGICIDE.
As a combination mixture may be
used, to be effective against both
blights and insects, such a one is
usually made. All that is necessary
is to put the proper proportion of
Paris green into the copper sulphate
mixture, just as if it were water.
Thus, as n pound OF Paris green is
sufficient for $50 gallons Of water, a
third Of a pound is enough to put
with the so gallons of water which
contain the copper sulphatc and lime.
1t has been found that neither solu-
ton is injured by the presence of the
other.
Formerly much heavier quantities
Of poison were used, but it has been
found that much less sufices than
was supposed, and it is probable that
even less than the quantities named
now would be sufficient. Indeed. dur
ing the past season | used but 6
pounds Of copper s~ulphatc to 100 gal
Ions of water, and | think it did just
as good work as the larger doses gen
orally recommend.
1t has developed, curiously, that the
spraying Of the foliage has proved
beneficial to it in the way of produc-
ing a better growth. Just how it acts
has not been explained, but expert
ments have been carried on which
prove without a doubt that sprayed
trees grow better than those which,
having no blight on their foliage, did
not require any. This was proved by
officials OF the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, from experiments car
ried on by them on a lot Of pear trees.
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The wife of a Cincinnati clergyman
traded n hurra1 bf hnr husho n6's cor