The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-04-24
TO SPRAY OR NOT TO SPRAY.
Puzzled New York Orehardist-Dif.
feient Results in Different Years

l have been reading in the Tribune
Farmer Notes from the Rochester
Meeting of the Western New York
Horticultural Society,"" am puzzled
on the spray question. have thought
sometimes that my trees were In
jured more than benefited, and am
not very enthusiastic about spraying.
1t seems that the russell areas OF
some apples is said to be caused by
spraying. In 1905 sprayed once be-
fore the buds opened and did not
spray again that season, because of
too much rain. / had Greensng ap-
pies that the conductor OF farmers
meeting at Johnson's Creek, in Mag
ara county, pronounced Russets.
had Russets which he examined and
could not tell whether they were
Greetings or Swars. Last year
sprayed twice, thoroughly, and found
no ruset spots on the apples, but
part of my apples were quite wormy.
An acquaintance of mine who has
sprayed thoroughly for several years,
and had better than the average ap-
pies, had to sell last year by the hun
dred pounds, as his apples were not
fit to barrel. A neighbor who has
never used the bordeaux has as good
apples as any of US. He has used
poisons only until the last year or
two, since when he has used Down
eyside" His apples sold without al
lowing any for cider, while another
neighbor and myself had to make a
liberal allowance. We sold unsorted.
Professor Hedrick has summed up
the whole thing in about these words
If you have trees that don't need
spraying, don't spray them; if you
have trees that are injured by spray
ing, don't spray them; spray all
others; spray! How in the world are
we going to know? Some years it
Injuries; some it doesn't. Sometimes
it helps; oftener it does not. Do we
really know any more about it than
We did ten years ago?-F. NJ, Jeddo,
N. Y.
The above is an interesting letter,
and, after all, is not unusual. l have
seen conditions which would warrant
a man writing in this strain and feeE
ing thoroughly puzzled and very
much at sea. On che other hand,
do not think a man can speak with
as to the benefits or in
juries of spraying unless he has &C
tually measured up the situation by
careful comparative tests. In my own
/ have been frequently
led to think that by the appearance
of the trees on sprayed and unspray-
ed plots during midsummer, or even
later, our experiment would not
show any striking results, but when
the crop was measured up the en-
We were hoping for was
usually forthcoming.
This russeting of Greetings and
other fruit is not all to be charged to
spraying. Quite occasionally frost
brings about the russeting. AS rule,
frost injury is marked by
distinct bands of russell encircling the
fruit. Again, believe that If Green
ings are growing alongside of Rus
sets In the orchard there is POSSIBLE
ity of the influence of the pollen
showing on the fruit the first season.
The character of the season and the
peculiarities of climatic conditions
when the spray is applied will UNI
affect the amount OF rus
setting which may. appear on the
fruit. 1t is impossible to arniffn sat
isfactorily these apparentt lptions
and cases which seem to contradict
good practice in spraying and orchard
management. They are the excep-
tons. however. They do not repre-
sent the averages. do not know
whether professor Hedrick is prop
erly quoted IN the above. but / an,
inclined to think that he would be
loath. to rouch for Il In that form.
Certain It =, that Some orchards -