The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-05-04
Growers Should Modify Usual
Plan. First Ascertain A
mount of Damage.

ed by the recent freeze should ascer-
tain Immediately the damage to their
orchards in order that they may know
what spraying will be needed, say
Psychologists of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. Without
this knowledge they may loose money
by failing to spray when there is
enough of crop left to warrant it,
or waste money by spraying when the
crop has been destroyed.
Examine Buds in All Parts of Tree.
The extent of the damage must first
be ascertained, it is said OF course,
as the season advances and the buds
develop it is easier for the grower to
gauge the prospect for crop; but
for some time Immediately after the
freeze it is necessary for him to make
careful and painstaking canvass OF
the whole orchard inspecting each
variety of fruit in every part of the
tree to determine the damage done.
This is done by splitting the buds,
the centers of which will be blacken-
ed and the stems discolored. If the
frost was fatal.
Peaches are reported to have suffer
ed most over the whole frost-strick-
l.
vania and New Jersey northward and
in some favored localities father
south.
Many reports of the damage done
as affecting the possibility OF crops
are misleading. say specialists of the
department If the freeze leaves 25
to 80 per cent of the peach buds
unframed. they say, there is fair
chance of crop if all other condi-
! tions during the rest of the season
continue favorable Even as low as 10
per cent of the buds, they say, has
| been known to make a working half
crop of fruit.
In the northern portion of the frost
ted area growers are advised to con-
| tinue spraying where 10 per cent of
| the buds are alive, as the shortage of
the crop will probably result in prices
that will make the expense worth
while. Farther south, however, in
| regions where the blossoms were
practically all killed, it will not be
necessary to spray for fungous dis
eases and insect pests. The depart
ment specialists caution. however
that in the past short peach crops
have sometimes proved cratic, due
to June drop, curculio, and unfavor-
able pollination conditions. The crop
may dwindle as the season advances
until it becomes a failure.
The situation with regard to apples
over the frosted area, it is said, is
much more complicated. Ben Davis,
Stayman, Winesap, Mammoth Black
Twig and most all the summer apples
have had their blossoms killed so COM
pletely as to leave no prospect even
of reasonable fraction of crop
it is said. Many other varieties, in
GLIDING York Imperial. Grimes Gold
en-, Jonathan. Rome Beauty, and to
less extent the old Winesap, have
from 10 or 20 per cent up to so and
60 and in some cases IS per cent.
varying proportion of the buds alive
Practically all the open blooms were
killed, but from the buds left these
varieties have some prospect of yield
ing fair crop in some localities if
conditions are good during fruit set
ting and growth of crop.
Keep Foliage in Good Condition
With apples and pears, specialists
of the department say, it is inadvis-
dule where the set of fruit does not
justify the expense. Two foliage
sprays should usually be given to
keep foliage in good condition. The
operation goes along with cultiva-
ton and fertilizing to build up the
trees for next years crop.
For fraction of crop of any con-
siderable Importance say from 10 to
20 per cent or more, the calyx spray
should be employed by all means, it
is said. The usual spray schedule
three treatments, calyx, and
weeks spray, and and weeks spray
are for the protection of fruit as well
as foliage. In the northern districts
where apple scab is bad more spray
ing may be necessary.
The calyx spray should be given as
soon as the blossoms have fallen.
For this use lime-sulphur solution at
| the rate of 1 1-2 gallons to so gallons
of water, plus 2 pounds of arsenate
of lead paste or l pound of powered
arsenate of lead, specialices say. Fail
ure to do thorough spraying at this
time cannot be remedied by subse-
quent treatments.
The same spray should be used a
gain to 4 weeks after the blossoms
fall. About June 25 to 80. 8 to 8
weeks after the petals fall, a treat
ment of Bordeaux mixture and an
arsenical should be given. By this
time growers will know what fraction
OF a crop to expect and how much
fruit they will have to spray.
Growers it is said, should be eau
toned against being deceived by what
they call disappearance of the crop"
after the blossoms fall this year. For
time at this period, they say, the
trees will give an appearance of hav-
ing little or no prospect of crop. A
close inspection of the trees, however