The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-05-15

spondence with you relative to fruit
growing. | inclose you herewith
CODY of a letter which speaks for it
self The view therein expressed may
not wholly meet with your approba-
ton, but l have been considerably in
terested along this line" The letter
referred to was written Jan. 8, 1908,
and was addressed to Hon. G. l.. Whit
ney, Walla Walla, Wash. | certainly
take pleasure in laying this valuable
letter before the readers of the Ranch.
Without fully agreeing with Judge
Forney in all particulars, | do con-
slider it very valuable contribution to
the literature referring to the control
of the codling moth. Here is the let
ter:
Your letter of recent date, in re-
gard to spraying with the Rex lime
and sulphur solution was duly receiv-
ed. In reply will state that for the
past several years the Bordeaux mix
ture severely russeted my fruit, es-
pecially my Jonathan apples. The APP
pies were often badly blemished at the
time of picking This injury in my
judgment was largely occasioned by
spraying at the time the blossoms fell
,
this was often a rainy time, and the
slightest moisture on the fruit at the
time of spraying, or Immediately after
wards, greatly increased the damage.
However, during the past three
years, at the time the buds began to
open and turn red, | have sprayed
with the lime and sulphur solution for
the apple scab, and have succeeded adj
miraby. Often the leaves would be
as large as my thumb, and the solution
would burn them at the edges, but
the tonic effect of the spray soon
brought them out. | have applied this
Rex solution, diluted to ten times, and
by thorough spraying, have held the
apple scab under complete control. To
every 100 gallons of spray mixture, |
add one pound of Portland cement.
Have applied this in March and April
and found that it will remain on the
trees frequently until October. It's
sticking quality especially, commends
itself to me in preference to the Bor-
deaux mixture. Owing to the caustic
quality of the solution, | did not ap-
ply it until after pollination took place.
I am inclined to think that if the So
luton should reach the bottom of the
calyx cup, it might injure or destroy
the process of pollination. In this con-
nection, cannot some of our smart ap-
pie growers or professors tell us ex-
actly the time pollination takes place?
About 25 days after the blossoms
fell, | have sprayed with the same
lime and sulphur solution diluted to
IL times, coating the young apples and
leaves in their vicinity thoroughly
with the spray. I did this for the
purpose of catching any of the scab
spores that might have come about
since the first spraying and also for
the additional reason that | am salts
fed that this spray will kill and cod
ling moth egg that may be on the fruit
or leaves at that time, and any eggs
that may be deposited on the young
apple which is still coated with this
mixture. That u.s. that any eggs, de-
posted on the apple covered by this
mixture, will soon be rendered I'M
hatchable, owing to the caustic quail
ties of this solution. and in our eli
mate here | judge this to be about the
apex of the egg season for the second
brood, which in our climate occurred
last year, and the year before, about
the 2Sth of July, and about so days
after the apex of the egg season of
the first brood, | again sprayed with
this solution about - to |, still using
| pound of Portland cement in the
same. The apples were quite large and
| coated them very thoroughly and |
am satisfied that if any of the eggs
were on the apples at the time of
spraying, or deposited there after
wards. they were soon rendered worth
less. On one-half of my orchard l
used l pound of arsenate of lead to so
gallons of the lime and sulphur solu-