The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-11-01

sary to spray in the fall? and what
form of spray do you use? If l re-
member correctly, you stated in The
Ranch about year ago that you had
found traces of the Bitter Rot in your
own orchard. Give us all the infor-
nation you can on this subject"
In answering friend Leedy, I would
remark that we must remember that
Bitter Rot is fungous disease; you
cannot cure it once it attacks your
apples. 1t runs one year and dies of
its own accord. But it lives through
the winter in it's spores. These spores
are what we must kill If we would con-
troll it. Sulphate of copper is perhaps
the best fungicide known. 1t must
be mixed with lime and that properly
done makes the Bordeaux mixture
Those who have had the most to do
in combating this disease recommend
spraying in the spring before the
leaves are out, and then again in the
early summer. 1t will not do to use
the Bordeaux full strength in the sum-
mer time or the apples may appear
rusty. One-half strength is to be pre-
ferred.
l had some Bitter Rot in my orch
ard last year. We sprayed very thor
oughly with the lime-sulphur wash
last spring before the leaves put out.
We did not use any Bordeaux during
the past summer, and the Bitter Rot
seems to have been almost obliterat-
ed was all over my apple orchard
on the second day of October and no.
ticed but one occurrence of this dis
ease. Two or three apples on one
Ben Davis tree showed the presence
of this rot. 1t is well-known that the
suphide of lime Qime-sulphur wash)
is a fungicide, but it has not been
considered as affective as the Bor-
deaux I think our spraying to de-
stroy the San Jose scale last spring
killed the spores of the Bitter Rot. If
Mr. .Leedy has not already the scale
he most likely will have in a few
years. In spraying for the scale he
may control Ine Bitter Rot. If this
is not accomplished, then I would rec
ommend the Bordeaux as above.
I made mention recently of the Wis
it to my ranch of James M. Irvine,
editor of the Fruit-Grower of st. Jo-
seph, Mo-, accompanied by w. P.
Stark, President of the Missouri State
Board of Horticulture. The visit of
these distinguished horticulturists to
the Northwest has borne fruit already.
On October Is T. H. Todd of New
Franklin, Mo-, visited my ranch. He
is also a member Of the Missouri
State Board of Horticulture and has
been on quite an extended tour Of in
spection among the orchards Of the
Northwest He informed me that he
was urged by Mr.. Stark to visit my
place. I found him a very pleasant
man with whom to confer on fruit
growing He spent two hours or more
on my ranch and I Showed" him
around. He asked many questions
about spraying, pruning, irrigating,
thinning, etc. We did not always agree
in our views, and 1 liked him the
better for that like a man who is
independent enough to have views of
his own and knows how to express
them. OF course, conditions are quite
different in Missouri and Washington,
and these lead to somewhat different
methods of treatment. I need not now
enter into any discussion Of these
differences. In fact, the differences
were few and largely unimportant
compared with the things upon which
we agreed I thoroughly enjoyed Mr..
Todd's visit and hope he may come
again.
AS a further evidence of interest
created by the visit of these horticul-
turists, l mention the fact that I am
in receipt of letter from w. L. How
ard, Secretary of the Missouri State
Board of Horticulture, dated Column
bia, Mo- Oct. 8, 1908. I quote this let
ter in part as follows: "The Missouri
State Board of Horticulture will hold
it's Annual Winter Institute at Colum-
bla during Farmers Week. January
5 to 9. inclusive. At this time all