Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-02-10
Care Of the Orchard.
Oregon Short Line r. r., Dec. 1911,
Demonstration Train

: orchard closes the season. with only
, two or three per cent wormy OF
, even five per cent will be fairly
; safe to cut the early spraying down
, to one and then watch for the move
, ment of the worms as before to see
i 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.
know dozens OF orchards that have
not been sprayed more than once q
year for four or five years, but be
] fore that time everyone OF those or
. cha1ds was sprayed from three to
five times and was banded, in order
to get the worms down to number
where 1t 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 sraying 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 that is destroyed will be
the largest, finest, and most highly
colored fruit on the tree, while the
little, inferior, uncolored, nubbins
that grow down underneath will be
the ones that will be free from
worms.
1 In good many sections OF this
State considerable trouble was ex-
perienced tits past season with the
worms and many an orchardist that
felt that he had solved the problem
with spraying before this season III
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 pump 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 cooling moth runs In cycles
OF destructiveness-a do all other
insects. Some years 1t 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 re-
suit Of combination Of almost uni
versal spraying and certain unfavor-
able climatic conditions, that number
was reduced to the minimum. AT
the same time, the number OF spray |
ings was also reduced, the bands |
were left oft, the codling moth be-
gan to increase in numbers, and an
exceptionally favorable season for |
their multiplication resulted In
heavy damage last year. And yet
last year there were dozens Of or
cLards In the State that went through
ltne season with a single spraying |
and one would have to search some
time for wormy apple in the
orchards. think, however, that this
lesson will have a good effect In the
end--better put on an extra spray
and work on the bands when they do
not appear to be doing much good
than to repeat the experience OF the
past season. There is no profit in
wormy apples and three il no salts
faction In them either.
Pruning is just as essential as
spraying and another two or three
cents bushel spent on the care Of
the tree will yield big returns. One
OF the chief reasons why we are
able to raise high priced apples is
because Of our long days Of sum-
mer sunshine. and yet IL we allow
wood growth of our trees to become
so thick as to shade crop Of ap-
pies, we might as well plans our trees
in Ohio and be done with it. The
open-headed tree with plenty OF sun
light, plenty Of air circulation carry
ing small enough crop Of apples
SO the tree can produce them to
standard size, is the efficient tree.
There are almost as many methods
Of pruning as there are men who
prune, and yet they all practically 4
agree In regard to the object sought.
The major portion Of the experienced
western orchardists, however, agree
that after the tree has been grown
and the head properly formed and
spread out, as has been described to
you by Secretary Mcpherson. one