Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-06-09
Some Points on Spraying.

That It pays to spray fruit trees has
been 30 thoroughly demonstrated by
fruit growers and experiment stations
that It Is no longer necessary to ill
space with data to prove that point.
The man who has availed himself OF
his opportunities for observation and
the literature upon tho subject and Is
not yet convinced could not be intiu-
enced by any results which might be
given In brief article.
Nevertheless, there IL Q considerable
amount of spraying done every year
which does not pay for the labor and ex-
pense in doing 1t. The reason for this is
that the operator has not studied the
subject sufficiently to enable him to use
judgment in choosing . spray material
and applying It. Too often the princi-
pal reason for using certain material is
that neighbor has used 1t with good
results.
To be successful, it is necessary to
study the effect of various spray mate
rials upon the different insects and plant
diseases which attack fruit trees and
then make each spraying with some DEL
iuite purpose In view and at the proper
time to accomplish that purpose.
The spray materials used to kill COD
ling moths, which cause wormy apples,
have but little, II any effect upon the
San Jose scale, or other scale insects.
Likewise, the mixture which prevents
scabby and knotty apples Is Ineffective
In combating either Of the insects men,
toned. The important thing Is to
study your own trees and use the spray
which is effective in combating the par
ticular pest or pests which are infest'ng
your trees. =,
II the insects you must fight are the
kind which bite off chunks Of leaves or
buds, It will be necessary to put some
kind of poison upon their food In order
to kill them. The codling moth, curcu.
lilo, etc., belong to this class OF insects
and arsenate Of lead, paris green or
some other form of arsenic is the poison
generally used.
For insects which suck their food,
such as the oyster shell scale, San Jose
scale, scurvy bark louise, etc., 1t Is neces-
sary to use q different sort OF spray.
They do not consume poison which 10
placed upon the leaves or bark and for
that reason 1t Is necessary to use spray
which will kill them by coming In con-
tact with their bodies. Kerosene emul-
sion and lime-sulphur wash have proved
very effective.
TO destroy fungus diseases such as
apple scab, cherry leaf spot, grape mil
dew, ETC., there is nothing better than
Bordeaux mixture or lime-sulphur
spray.
The fact that lime sulphur Is effective
in combating both scale insects and fun
gus diseases makes 1t an exceptionally
valuable spray material. Many success
full orchardists are using 1t almost ex.
clusively. By adding arsenate OF lead
or paris green at one or two sprayings
to kill the biting insects, they can con-
troll all forms Of pests which infest their
trees.
Spray materials can now be obtained
in stock form ready for dilution with
water. It saves lot of trouble and In
most cases Is cheaper to use prepared
mixture than to attempt home mixing.
Almost all state experiment stations
have published spray calendars which
can be bad free upon application to the
station. They give complete informa-
ton about sprays and the time to apply
them. There Is no fixed date when
spraying should be done every year.
Insects hatch at different dates, just the
same az buds and leaves vary 10 the time
of opening according to the season. 1t
would take several pages to tell you just
when to spray the different kinds OF
fruit. Even II you have only few fruit
trees you cannot afford to allow insects
and plant diseases to deprive you of the
cron