The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-10-15
To Spray or Not to Spray?

To spray or not to spray? that is the
question that has been discussed by
fruit growers ever since the invasion
of the coddlin moth and San Jose scale,
and decided in the negative by those
only who have never tried it. Let any
one take trip, AS a es-Mountaineer
reporter did yesterday. up Mill Creek,
for five or six miles and compare the
orchards that have been carefully and
persistently sprayed during the past
spring and summer with those that
have been carelessly or intermitteutiy
sprayed or not sprayed at all and then
jndge for himself. He will find all
gradations Uf care or want of care.
He will find orchards that have been
carefully and persistently sprayed for
both pests and carefully pruned and
cultivated Invariably loaded, each tree,
with all the apples it can bear and
every leaf as green as if the fall we're
two months distant. On the other ex-
treme he can see hundreds of trees
that have never known the spray
pump, without as much fruit on a
square acre of them as would fill a five
pound lard can: the trees half or
wholly dead and the meager foliage
on the living shoots that start from
the base of the dead or dying trunks
scar and yellow and ready to'tall and
the shoots themselves destined to be
as dead as their elder companions in
another year or two. He will find,
too, scores of trees chopped up or being
chopped up into cordwood. They had
grown and fourished for years on as
fine fruit land as ever lay to the sun
rich, warm alluvial creek bottom-but,
spraying is no good" So thought the
owners and now the trees are only fit
for fuel for the winter fire. The
orchards of Mill creek afford proof
clear as holy writ, that If our orchards
are to thrive and prosper they must be
carefully and persistently sprayed.
Whether it pays or not, is question
that each must decide for himself. AS
to that the writer visited an apple or
chard of l 200 trees. They had been
sprayed every len days for two months
at an aggregate outlay of less than 800.
The trunk of each tree had been
wrapped with band of burlap and
these had been moved every ten days
and the worms underneath them killed.
The ground under the trees had been
plowed and narrowed and cultivated
till there was hardly a weed to be seen
in ten acres. The trees had all been
carefully pruned and there was not a
dead branch or dead stem in sight.
Each particular tree was bent earth
ward, groaning under load of big,
rich. ripe apples. "Does all this care
and work pay?" was asked of one of
the two stout, energetic young fellows
who are running the orchard on shares.
SIT takes lots of work." was the reply,
but it pays us.and we are making good
wages. This apple orchard of ten
acres represents only small part of
our labor and returns. From it we
will sell 1000 boxes of prime ap-
pies that are worth in the neighbor-
hood of 5000 dollars, while our neigh
bors who have not sprayed, or cared
for their orchards as they should, will
have practically no apples to sell and
l. L.
zened and wOrmy that they are worth
nothing"
The Romance of Alkan Flat.
Christian Meyer and wife, of Alkali
Flat, Crook county, we're here Satur-
dau 0n their NAV RI visit THAR two