The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-07-05
Maine Agricultural Experiment
Station, Orono, Maine.
Trial Sprays for Apple Fruit Flies.

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The apple growers of Maine are familiar
with the work of the apple maggot or
railroad worm as it tunnels through the
fruit and with the fact that these hatch
from eggs laid by a banded winged fly.
Many orchardists have been interested in
the hope held out by recent experimental
spraying that it may be possible to poison
off the flies and thus prevent the appear
ance of the maggots in the fruit.
The two following methods have been
reported to be successful means of con-
trolling the apple maggot by poisoning the
parent flies before they deposit eggs.
They are offered by the Maine Agri-
cultural Experiment Station as suggest
ions to owners of isolated orchards, who
have been troubled by this pest Any
one who will test either method and re-
port results, where favorable or unfavor-
able will be contributing to an important
subject.
|. Soluble poison.
Arsenate of soda cor arsenate of POTASH
1 ounce
Molasses the stronger the better 1 pint
Water gallons
Dissolve the poison in a little hot water
and mix with the water and molasses
This mixture will burn foliage little
Apply it to scattered trees of the suscep-
tible varieties in the orchard. Use hand
spray outfit and on each tree sprayed only
cover place as large as an umbrella top
The slight foliage injury to so small an
area does not interfere with tree growth
This amount of spray mixture is sufficient
for four sprayings in an orchard of 20
acres.
Time of application: The first spray
should be made about July 18th and the
last about August 18th. The number of
applications necessary would depend upon
the frequency of rain storms.
H. Arsenate of lead:
Formula: Arsenate of lead
paste form, 2 pounds
Water, 40 gallons
Method of application: Through leaf
spray such as is ordinarily practiced for
leaf feeding insects (caterpillars).
Time of application: The first spray
about July 18th and the second two
weeks later. If heavy rain follows the
second spray it should be repeated, other
wise two sprays are all that are neces-
sary
The theory of the first method is to
have the poison serve as an attractive
bait and thus only a partial spraying is
required. The second method requires
covering all the leaves of all the trees, SO
that wherever the fly feeds while in the
orchard it will find poison. In case any
one wishes to try the first method and
cannot obtain the poison, this Station
can supply limited amount.
1t is very difficult to secure conclusive
checks on such experiments as these both
because of their nature and because so
many factors are involved. For this
reason this notice is given in the spirit of
suggestion for trial tests to such apple
growers as may be interested, and is not
to be considered in the light of recon-
mendations based on conclusive date ap-
plicable to all localities and conditions.
1t may be said, however, that the first
method has been tried by the Maine Agri-
cultural Experiment Station and the
second by the Department of Agri-
culture, Province of Nova Scotia, and
that both gave, apparently, successful re-
suits. In each case orchards previously
heavily infested, gave practically clean
fruit after the sprays.
CHAS. D. WOODS, Director