Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1908-07-16
WHY NO APPLE CROP.
z. ]. Winter Answers a Question
Proposed by W. L. Kent.
EDITOR MESSAGE:

In letter published in the Mes.
SAGE some time ago Mr.. w. l..
Kent states that he has observed n
great difference in the amount of
bloom in different apple orchards,
even in the same neighborhood,
aud he asks the question why this
is so and wants some one to ex.
plain the cause Of this difference.
| was hoping that some one would
reply who could give Il definite and
satisfactory answer to his question,
which is more than | can do. But
as no one else has replied | will
give my views, simply for what
they are worth, aud tell some
things that l have noticed aud that
/ believe have bearing on this
question.
In 1908 we had long warm
spell in March and this was follow
ed by very cool aud backward
April, and the first of May Of that
year we had a hard freeze. Mos
of the apple blooms dropped off
aud what apples remained on the
trees were knotty, scabby and i'll.
shaped. The trouble was not con-
fined to the fruit but also affected
the foliage which was in bad con-
dition all summer and some varie-
ties-especially the Ben Davis
shed their leaves early in the fall.
The following year the trees had not
fully recovered and set very little
fruit, aud what apples we had in
this part of the country that year
were practically all produced by
real old trees. The early part of
the season of 1903 and 1907 were
very similar and the effect on the
apple crop and trees was about the
same in both years and in each case
the year following.
| have noticed that young trees
suffer more from the effect Of such
seasons as those of 1903 and 1907
than older trees and that orchards
in low places fare worse :han those
on higher ground. Also that some
varieties are injured more than 9th.
ers. Yellow Transparent and
Wealthy seem TO be less subject TO
this particular kind of injury than
most other varieties.
Was this injury to the fruit aud
trees in 1908 and 1907 entirely due
to the direct effect of the cold, wet
aud unfavorable weather or were
the trees and fruit affected with
apple scab or some other fungus
disease brought on by the unfav.
orable seasonsi II is we'll known
that cool aud wet weather is favor.
able TO the development aud
spread OF apple scab which affects
the foliage as we'll as the fruit, II
the foliage had been injured only
by the cold weather it would have
recovered during the summer in-
stead of growing gradually worse.
The fact that there is a good deal
OF knotty and scabby fruit the
year following the unfavorable
season also seems to indicate that
the injury is at least partly due to
fungus disease. In that case a
thorough spraying with Bordeaux
mixture or some other fungicide
during seasons like those of 1908
aud 1907 might be OF great benefit.
l believe that the failure OF the
apple crop this year is largely il
not entirely due to the injury the
trees sustained last year and thai
the difference in the amount oI
bloom aud fruit in different or
cbards. that Mr.. Kent speaks OF, il
due to difference in the age ant
elevation Of the orchards aud to
the varieties that compose them.
AS fruit growers l am sure we
appreciate the courtesy and kind
ness OF the MESSAGE in allowing
us space in its columns to discus