The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1909-10-15
TAKING CARE OF OUR TREES

"t'0 DCdtcil wv any
thlng but insects; and with then
the struggle is today. The Ameri
can man, supposed to he the bes1
product of. the genus homo, loses
each year out of his hara-earneC
profits, by what we may call the
hands Of insects, one-ffth of all he
can produce. This is not to include
the loss of the trees themselves
with which goes also large future
income as we'll as present comfort
These insignificant rivals of ours
make up for lack of size by multi.
tude OF workers and rapidity of ac.
complishment.
What we want to get at now is
the easily available material with
which the most common home
builder can contest the field, leav-
ing the complex prescriptions for
professionals and sp ecialis t $
Thanks to our agricultural colleges
and experiment stations, the use OF
arsenites and Bordeaux mixture has
become so simplified that almost
anybody understands and can ap-
ply them, and they are being more
and more simplified each year.
This Bordeaux mixture is usuable
for nearly all sorts. of fungus or
blights and mildcws. 1t is sulphatc
of copper under a technical name,
and is easily compounded by the
least educated farmer. Simply mix
or dissolve in barrel of water three
pounds Of copper sulphate, adding
to it solution of three pounds Of
Stacked stone lime. This mixture,
well stirred, is sprayahle thru a coed
nozzle over your tallest trees. You
need only a double action, brass
lined force pump. at cost OF about
six dollars. Here is a weapon that
anybody can keep in his woodshed,
and when needed for use, insert in
the barrel and carry the barrel about
on cart. There is hardly Il shade
tree or fruit tree that will not be
the better for a good application of
this Bordeaux mixture early in the
spring, before the leaves appear;
apply again at the blossoming period
and once a month later right thru
the year. The expense is not heavy
and the labor is not severe. The
brighter your foliage and the more
vigorous the growth of your tree,
the more able it is to resist insect
attacks.
This Bordeaux is equally useful
in the potato field to prevent blight
and in the vineyard to protect the
grapevines. When it comes to ap-
plying the arsenites, still the Bor-
deaux can be used again by mixing
with the other compounds. Our
present most available arseni1e for
the farmer to use, or the common
householder, is arsenate of lead.
So much damage may be done by
the use of Paris green or London
purple that they cannot be recon-
mended for general use. Make a
paste of one pound of the lead ar
senate, then thoroly dissolve in a
barrel of water and apply to your
trees. 1t is better to>add to this
mixture couple of pounds of lime;
or if Bordeaux is used with it you
already have the lime. Here is a
very simple and safe mixture, far
safer than the Paris green to have
about. and it can be used by any
amateur tree grower.
Kerosene emulsion is another
home made affair that can be kept
on hand at all times, and is of about
equal use in the orchard and lawn
and garden. 1t is made by dissolv-
ing half a pound of hard soap, then
adding one gallon of kerosene, after
which the whole is churned with a
small pump until the mixture APP
pears like soft soap. A pail full of
this mixture should always be on
hand, so that the housewife can ap-
ply it to her roses or the house man
to his plumb trees and hedges. A
strong mixture, taking at least a