The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-05-01
SHALL WE CONTINUE TO
SPRAY FOR COOLING MOTH?

SPRAY FOR COOLING MoTh?
Do. w. p. Headden, In Bulletin No.
131, oe the Colorado Experiment Sta
has GfTenNmost conclusive eV3s
dense THAI many apple trees thai
have Aeen heavily sprayed for years
with arsenical poisons are in a sick
andA dying condition. or are already
dead.
This malady has been going under
the names collar rot," crown rot"
and root rot" without any well foun-
ded assignable cause There have
been several theories as to the posi-
BILE cause, such as seepage, alka1i, and
disease organisms. The grst two OF
these troubles are probably one and
the same, namely, too much water in
the soil, and no one has been able to
assign the trouble to a definite micro
organism 1t should be remembered,
also, that Doctor Headden's expert
ments have nothing to do with trees
that died from drowning; and the writ
er knows, personally, that many, at
least, Of the samples. of trees analyz-
ed were from land where seepage con-
tditions are absolutely unknown.
Doctor Headden's discovery of the
real cause of this trouble has come,
we believe, in time to prevent very
extensive losses from the death of
orchard trees In this amer. 1t will
be folly, however, for any one here
after + spray his orchard with arse
meal preparations more times or in
greater strength than is absolutely
necessary to get good results.
Personally, / very much regret, as
does Doctor Headden, that ~arsenical
spraying is resulting d~isastrously to
any of our orchard trees; but it is
worse than useless to evade facts, and
7 orp fhnrn1rohlu convinced THAT DIR
Headden has been very conservative
in his conclusions as to the extent Of
damage that has already been done
to apple n pear trees where eXces-
sive arsenical. spraying has been car
ried on.
Symptoms of Arsenicai Poisoning.
The symptoms, in a rather advanc-
ed stage of this disease, as described
by Doctor Headden and MI. Whipple,
are about as follows: Trees usually
stunted in growth; bark very yellow;
bark often dead n black just below
the surface of the ground; the main
roots in a similar condition; leaves
yellow and maturing early; apples We
ry abundant, but small and highly col
ored; the park of the trunk N main
limbs often with vertical cracks which
may or may not give out an emulation.
Trees strongly exhibiting h above
condition one year are almost sure to
| be .dead the next year.
This trouble usually appears first
| upon q few scattered trees, and from
| year to year seems to spread to 9th
lers. In any orchard where a few trees
| are found in the above condition the
| utmost caution is necessary in spray
| ing with arsenical mixtures for the
| codling moth or other insect pests.
How to Spray.
Since coming to Colorado, more
| than eighteen years ago, the writer
has steadily urged the fruit growers of
| the state to depend chiefly upon a
| thorough treatment or two just after
1 the blossoms fall, and has advised not
| more than one late treatment. While
this has now become a very general
| rule among Colorado apple growers,
| there are still many who think If two
or three sprayings are good more will
fbe better, and it is in the orchards
l times or more each season that most
| Of the mischief has. been lone.
Now, instead of recommending W
| or three applications for the cooling
moth, / am fully persuaded that it is
best to recommend one or at most
two.
If an ouchau has a few trees that
| show the characteristic symptoms of
poisoning, as given above, or if the
trees have been heavily sprayed for
several years, l would recommend one
spray only just as the blossoms are
about ninety per cent. off. If the trees
have not been excessively sprayed,
and If for any reason the first ap-
plfcation was not very satisfactory, it
might be advisable to make a second