The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-02-09
The Care Of the Orchard
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tnen spray again TWO or three times
for the second brood. II the orchard
closes the season with only two or
three per cent wofmy or even five per
cent, it will be fairly safe to cut the
early sprayings down to one and then
watch for the movement of the worms
as before to see if later sprays should
be given.
Don't leave this car with the idea
that / have said that one spraying
will control the codling moth. I
know dozens of orchards that have
not been sprayed more than once
year for four or five years, but be-
fore that time every one of those or
chards was sprayed from three to five
times and was banded, in order to
get the worms down to a number
where it would be safe to stop with
one spraying. ANY method of spray
ing which reduces the number of
worms in the orchard each year be-
low that which occurred there the
previous year is successful. Any
method of spraying which allows the
worms to increase in an orchard or
which only holds them stationary
when they are destroying from 10 to
20 per cent of the apples, is failure
as far as western conditions are con-
cerned, because that 10 to 20 per cent
that is destroyed will be the largest,
finest, and most highly colored fruit
on the tree, while the little, inferior,
4Ip4
underneath will be the ones that will
be free from worms.
In a good many sections in this
state considerable trouble was expert
encad this past season with the
worms and many an orchardist that
felt that he had solved the problem
with spraying before this season is
alarmed at the number of worms in
his crop this year, and is looking
around for reason for the increase.
Most of them, however, are looking
in the wrong direction for the cause.
Some think the pamp was no good,
others are sure the poison was no
good, but / have discovered no one
as yet that has even suggested that
the man was deteriorating, and yet
the fact remains, that very large
percentage of our growers have be-
come over-confident in the past two
or three years.
The codling moth runs in cycles of
destructiyeness-as do all other in
sects. Some years it will be worse
"a good deal worse-than others
Eight or nine years ago the average
of the orchards of the state was two
to three worms to an apple. Two or
three years ago, as the result of a
cobination of almost universal spray
ling and certain unfavorable climatic
conditions, that number was reduced
to the minimum. At the same time,
the number of sprayings was also re-
duced, the bands were left off, the
cooling moth began to increase in
numbers, and an exceptionally favor
able season for their multiplication
resulted in a heavy damage last year.
And yet, last year there were dozens
OF orchards in the state of Utah that
went through the season with a single
spraying and one would have to
search some time for wormy apple
in the orchards. I think, however,
that this lesson will have a good eff
feet in the end-better put on an ex-
ira spray and work on the bands
when they do not appear to be doing
much good than to repeat the expert
ence of the past season. There is no
profit in wormy apples, and there is
no satisfaction in them either.
ITO be Continued)