Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-05-18
AMONG THE FARMERS,
"sPEED THE PLow."

"sPEEp THE PLow."
Correspondence on practical Agricultural topic
/ Is solicited. Address all communications In
/ tended for this department. to HENRY ID
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
| ocrat, Paris, Ne.
Is Arsenical Spraying Dangerous
to OrchardsP
For several years there has been a
growing belief among some Orchardists
and horticulturists that continued use
of srsenical poisons for combating cod
ling moth and leaf eating insects must
result in serious injury to fruit trees
and other shade or decorative trees, re-
sulting from the poison being taken up
into the circulation of the trees and then
producing injury and finally death, SIM
ilarly as results to animal life when
small doses of poison are long continued.
A bulletin touching this important
question has been issued by Prof.
Headden of Colorado Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station, in which he discusses
Investigations followed by him for
several years. Orchards that contain
many dead, dying and unthrifty trees
have been examined which have been
ANNUALLY sprayed several times with
solutions containing arsenic. In some
orchards it was found that as high as
twelve pounds of arsenic acid had been
used annually per acre, and as result
there was found to be large accumula-
ton of this poison in the soil under the
trees and traces of it in the wood of the
trees.
| Extracts from the bulletin mentioned
were published recently in the "Fruit-
man and Gardener" an Iowa fruit jour
nal, a portion of which we reproduce.
Prof. Headden says:
THAT some trees are suffering from
other causes is quite certain, but my
conviction is clear that the greater por-
ton of the trouble is caused by arsenic
| in the soil.
am fully alive to what this means to
fruit growers, but it Is for the best in
terests of all that the facts should be
fully known.
The spray material used in combating
the codling moth is either a calcic ar
senate or lead arsenate. This is applied
from two or three up to nine times per
season. This station does not recon-
mend more than three sprayings, yet
many orchardists use more.
The average man does not consider
the amount of poison applied, and which
eventually all finds its way to the soil,
but reckoning only upon three spray
ings, we have total of eighteen pounds
| of arsenic acid to each acre of orchard.
1t is very unevenly distributed, as
much of it runs down the trunk and
settles at the base of the tree.
As some orchards have been sprayed
for ten years, there must be a large
accumulation of arsenic. And analysis
shows this to be so.
One sample from under twelve-year-
old tree showed thirty parts of arsenic
to each !, 200, 900 parts of soil.
One sample showed double this
amount.
This shows that arsenic accumulates
| in dangerous quantities, If by any means
it becomes soluble.
Hundreds of trees are dead or sick be-
yond recovery, and all show the same
symptoms. The first sign is the ap-
pearance on the trunk of chocolate
colored spots. The bark is soon killed
and dries down. The foliage drops
early, so that diseased trees are easily
picked out in the fall, and they will be
found nearly girdled with dead bark.
The second year the tree will start,
but it dies about midsummer.
In every case the roots are found to be
dead and the bark at the base OF the
trunk is in bad condition. In fact, the
trouble seem to start here.
will give the facts on which rests
the statement that arsenic is not only
| in the soil, but has been absorbed by
the trees. / have taken wood samples
from fourteen trees. These samples
consist of roots, stumps, trunk and
branches. On these samples thirty
chemical tests for arsenic were made,
and its presence was established In
every instance. 1t was more plentiful
| in the roots and crown of trees; still it
was found in the branches, even in those
| not yet dscolored.
As proof test used sample OF oak
wood which had not grown under spray
conditions, but no arsenic was found In
that.
Il
viction that arsenic accumulating in our
soil is the cause of this trouble.
| We have found it in the wood tissues
where it should not be present, and We
have proved that it will cause death in
plants. There is no other conclusion
than that the symptoms noted and the
death of the tree is caused by arsenical
poisoning"
Here is disclosed what would seem to
be a most serious menace to the far
western orchard interests at least where
spraying with arsenical solutions has be-
come such a common practice. In the
most successful orchard districts of
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington,
| California and portions of Oregon, irri-
CATION of orchards is necessity and the
| very characteristics of climate which
favor the development of exceptionally
| fine looking fruit, also favor the breed
ing and development of harmful insects,
hence the greater necessity OF spraying.
The question naturally arises, how
much greater is the danger OF using
this poison where irrigation is neces-
sary than in our orchards of the east?
There the moisture supplied artificially
is practically all used by the trees or
passes off through evaporation while
here our soils are drenched each season
| and the strength of the poison must in
| some measure be leached and drained
away in consequence, 1t would seem.
Nevertheless, as spraying promises to be
largely increased in eastern orchards
New York and Canada having already
made considerable start-it is highly
important that the accumulative effects
of spray poisons used on orchards be
Investigated and understood as related
| to our own environment.
| Continued use of Paris green for
period of years has not affected the
production of tubers, grains or grasses,
seriously at least, but the cases are not
parallel since a rotation is generally fol-
lowed by potato growers and the accu-
mulative effect would not be factor In
the farm crops mentioned which develop
new plant structure annually.
Here is a problem that deserves early
attention from our eastern pomological
investigators, and when we consider
how closely related biologically, animal
and plant life has been shown to be,
within recent years, the wonder is that
the practice of distributing poison in