The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-04
TELLS OF METHODS FOR
SUMNER SPRAYING
mer to Control Bitter Rot and
Other Diseases.
INFECTION HURTS
MARKET VALUE.
Disease Free Product sells At Good
Prices, While Infected Fruit Is
Barely Saleable At Amy Figure.
Time of Spraying.

iuit Oh SpdasHs-
Written for The Richmond Virginian.
Blacksburg, Va, juno Sc. D
Ralston, associate horticu!turist at the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, has this
to say about the summer spraying OF
apples:
During visits to a large number
Of orchards the past two years and
in conversations with many growers
the writer's attention has been called
to many cases OF neglect in applying
the midsummer spray for the con-
troll of bitter rot and the less destruc
tive diseases which attack the fruit at
that seaSon---
This neglect Is more commonly
found in the home and small COM
mercial orchards, but has been OBJ
served in few large commercial
paintings The statement has often
been made that this spray is not neces-
Sary, that bitter rot does little II any
damage In that particular section.
These growers should realize that even
though the crop is not apparently in
iured the number of culls is largely
increased and the keeping quality OF
the fruit badly impaired When this
occurs "A large buyer will not touch the
apples unless he gets them very cheap
and can aggregate them from the main
body Of the apples so as to handle
them quickly.
Difgfuit to Market.
The difficulty in selling infected
fruit has been repeatedly brought 10
my attention. For example last sea-
son a grower told rle he could not
sell his best winesaus for - cents pc
bushel when No. Winesaps were sell
ing for $325 10 S315 a barred Buyers
came TO the orchards but in all cases
refused the fruit unless II was almost
E!ve1. them. That fruit did not re-
ceive a mid summer spray. One OF
the large commercial growers made a
statement In which he said that the
bitter rot spray had increased the good
fruit In his orchard by as much as
30 per cent. This grower does not
live in what In termed the bitter rot
section OF the State.
"A progressive grower in one OF the
northern counties OF the State sold his
apples for so cents more per barrel
than was received for neighoring fruit
that was not sprayed in June. The
sprayed orchard had less than 10 per
/ cent culls. the unsprayed orchard had
averaged about so per cent. not count
ing drops which fell during the early
fall All the latter orchards had re
ce!ved winter and early season sprays.
The above are not a few OF the
many examples dealing with the need
OF summer spraying, that are common
throughout the State However. IL ia
not necessary TO dwell upon the need
OF spraying. since II has been so con-
stantly advocated by good growers,
buyers and scientific horticulturists.
Weight may. however. be laid upon
the time Of application and the spray
material that is used In summer spray
Ing,
Has Varied Seasons.
Virginia has. owing to her topo-
graphy considerable variation In sea-
sonal conditions IN the several dis
tricts Of the State. The coast section
Is considerably warmer and earlier
than the higher western part This
produces an earlier development of
the apple pests as well as the early
maturing of fruit. Consequently. the
difference In time Of fruit development
must be taken into consideration when
spraying in order to insure efficiency.
ton must closely approximate the date
! that the diseases begin 10 develop.
There Is no doubt that seasonal
conditions retard or accelerate the de-
3eeiopment of pests to at least a slight
extent. but the following dates have
been found satisfactory for the APP
plication Of the fruit bitter rot spray
/ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES e-1a.
Middle Virginia and Southern
| Piedmont--Juno 1918.
| Northern Piedmont--June 1880.
! VALLEY of virgtnfa~-June $3.50.
! "Appalachia Section-About July I.
"One bitter rot spray will. in many
cases, fully control all the mid-season
diseases, but a second application may
be necessary, Do not apply the Sec
ond application until rot begins to ap-
pear, unless II has been bad the pre-
ceding years. II the latter Is true ap-
ply about two weeks after the first.
| Bordeaux mixture, $3.50 formula.
has given complete satisfaction and
can be unreservedly recommended for
the control OF bitter rot. black rot.
late infection of scab. ny speck. etc
The high cost Of bluestone will cause
many growers 70 seek a cheaper sub
stitute. Several Of these preparations
are on the market. Whether or not
they will give good results in your or
chard Is matter Of conjecture. Pound
for pound OF real fungicidal materials
the prepared sprays available on the
market must cost as much ~ It will
to buy the Ingredients and prepare
the spray at home. In most cases It
pays the grower to adopt new sprays
with great caution, unless It 10 recon-
mended for your section by com-
petent and disinterested authority, and
then only after a thorough test has
been made by him.
Concentrated lime-sulphur diluted
to summer strength cannot be fully re-
lied upon to control bitter rot on the
more susceptible varieties Of apples. a.
was proven to the writer's satisfaction
last year. A certain orchard required
frequent prayings with strong strength
lime sulphur solution. Nothwithstand-
ling this fact. bitter rot developed. One
application Of Bordeaux mixture COM
pletely checked the disease. Arsanats
LOT lead n ordinarily applied with the
Inrnt btttor rOt 1pray 10 control the ooo-