Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-01-13

Is the San Jose scale, which has
been heralded from the western coast
to the Atlantic as the worst enemy
that could possibly affect the culture
of trees, going to be a benefit in
a general way to the business, instead
of a retirement?
1t was predicted just three years
ago in a bulletin issued by the Mary
land experiment station that such
would be the case, and l believe that
it is working out that way. But it
cannot be denied that the orchard
that is neglected will surely come to
the end il was bound for, sooner than
it would otherwise would.
In old times when there seems to
have been no coddling moth, borers
or other enemies of the fruit bust
ness, there was apparently no great
development in fruit culture. My
father planted in 1912 a commercial
orchard in the central part of what
was known as "Southside" Virginia.
He had to learn by common sense
and experienced how to ship peaches,
and there was not at that time any
where a maker of peach baskets or
special light boxes. So my father
had bushel boxes made, with ventila-
ton through one-inch auger holes
on all sides, and with hinged lids;
and they were returned. He made
the business a success. But in time
the borers got so thick in the trees
that they killed out most of them.
He could not get anyone to work on
the borers and did not have time
himself.
This enemy of peach trees does as
much damage now as ever, and there
seems to be no easy way to get them
out of the trees. But men in the
business employ rather low-priced
labor to dig the borers out, and fruit
is sufficient supply to cover the de-
mand.
Later came the San Jose scale. This
is worse than the borer, perhaps, be-
cause it attacks so many trees in SO
wholesale a fashion. At least, il
would seem that an enemy so wide
spread in its habitat, and so capable
of infinite multiplication, must be un-
conquerable. But now the scale is
counted of less Importance than the
borer, for the reason that the scale
can be attacked in a wholesale fash.
ion, while the borer never can be.
Hence it is claimed now that the
scale has been an actual advantage tC
the commercial orchard men. 1t is
admitted by all that to conquer the
scale a certain amount of work in
spraying is bound to be done. And il
seems that outside of its relation tC
the scale itself, the lime-sulphul
spray is beneficial to the trees and
the fruit is better.
OF course, if a man has an orchard
and knows that it must be sprayed
to have any fruit, indeed, to keep il
alive, he will be apt to do the spray
ing But it would not pay to spra,
an orchard otherwise Improbable
so most orchard owners do all Other
work that is necessary to keep The
trees bearing and in vigorous health
The San Jose scale has, therefore
ceased to be a bug-bear.
But one obstacle in the way o.
abundant fruit every year is still
with us-the ever-occurring danger
of frost. Will the genius of mar
ever devise a cheap AMI simple pro
lection from it? Apparently The
California fruit men have tackelC
this proposition with reasonable sue
cess. They are acting on the simple
principle that the presence of clouds
prevent frosts. They cannot make
it cloudy at will; but by building ;
vast number of small fires, using
materials that cause very dens'
smoke, lney nave DtSu vel 9ueSCoo
full in preventing frost killing, too
Hence it is now still possible for tbs
up-to-date fruit grower to have
peaches every season and get prize
justified by the scarcity that will re
suit when frost and scale cut dow
the supply All others than com
mercial growers will have to give at
tention to just few trees, or g
without fruit many seasons.
OF course, the owner of a few
extra fine trees would find it pro
atable to treat them both for seal
and frost.-Geo. B. Morton, Mary
land, in the Farm Progress.
Poultry For Pleasure.
I once had a neighbor who was
level-headed and successful bushes