The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-15

is the only way from InlS IllQ0 Oh L
can answer these numerous letters
that have made my life burden. l
am often touched by these letters. Not
a few of them come from wornout min
listers who want to get themselves
fixed for old age. How gladly would
| help these men as far as l am able
to meet the struggles Of old age by
having a competence upon which to
lean. l will do the best l can for all
classes. One thing, however, must
not be overlooked, and that is tina!
it is hard to make a person under
stand country he has never seen.
Howard Thompson, Alfalfa, Wash,
under date of June 7, writes as fol-
lows Noticing in the last issue OF
The Ranch an article advocating the
use of lime sulphur wash as proven
tive of the aphis, which has been so
bad on peach trees this spring, l
thought few lines regarding my
experience along that line might not
be entirely out of order. | had read
similar article, but have forgotten
where, last spring or winter. l have
Is six-year-old peach trees five each
OIL ElUSIId, IIdI1y duu ILdCS SloWIOlo,
which l sprayed thoroughly with the
lime-sulphur solution before the
leaves came out, and the results
seemed to indicate that the treatment
was the one thing necessary to cause
the aphis to sit up and take notice.
AS it is, it looks to me as if the trees
will have hard time to make life
of it. | did not spray my younger
peach trees, and they have OutgroWn
the damage done by the aphis, al
though they were not as badly affect
ed as the older ones. I believe with
you that prevention beats cure, but
in my case the lime-sulphur proved
preventive that did not prevent. l
have been told since that any treat
ment that would destroy the aph1s
would injure the trees sprayed"
I do not fully understand friend
Thompson. 1t seems that he injured
his trees, but did not render the eggs
non-fertile by the spraying. There
must be something not fully men
toned by our correspondent 1t is
we'll established that the lime-sulphur
wash will render aphis eggs non-fer-
tile This spraying must be while the
tree is dormant That such a treat
ment will injure the trees in the dor
mant condition puzzles me. Anyone
who has read Prof. Piper's bulletin,
giving his experience in spraying in
La FOllette's orchard, will remember
that his peach orchard was badly al
fected with the San Jose scale, but
was so thoroughly sprayed with the
lime-sulphur wash that no scale could
be found the next spring. No init
nation is given that the trees were
injured in the least, and l am sure
that Prof. Piper would have stated
the fact if there had been any injury.
We have sprayed peach trees with
the lime-sulphur solution when dor
mant and could not notice the least
injury to the trees, either on the TO-
liage or the bark. I am pleased to
have anyone give his experience,
whether it TALES with mine or not.
What we want in all cases are the
facts. Ore thing must not be forgot
ten in this connection, and that Is
that peach foliage is very tender and
will be ruined by spraying when solu-
ton of the same strength used on ap-
pie trees would do no damage at all.
In a recent issue OF the Vagina he
public | find the following statement:
"A gentleman who has spent many
thousands dollars to make what he
hopes will be the largest and best
commercial orchard in the Northwest
discovered this week that something
like 10 acres of his apple trees. which
he had supposed were Spitzenburgs,
are in reality Ben Davis. He bought
them for Spitzenburgs, and paid the
Spitzenburg price, and would not have
taken them as a gift if he had known
they were the inferior variety. We
regret to say that these trees were
Wol MALAY nlIrS-