The Arvada enterprise., 1923-05-24
Spray Ring Will
Improve Orchard
Co-Operative Plan Tried
Successfully in Several
Fruit States.

| prepared by the United States Department
OF AEricuture)
me cooperative spray ring. dcvcl
opeu IN connection with demonstrations
In orchard spraying, is solving the
problem of spraying the small home
orchard, for an increasing number of
farmers, according to reports to the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture. While the plan has been used
most extensively In Iowa. farmers In
Minnesota, Missouri Wisconsin. Illinois
anu ONO lind II good method, and on
the Atlantic coast several counties in
Connecticut and New Jersey organized
rings In 1921. In Iowa, the number OF
counties reporting the organization Of
spray rings increased from 10 in 1921
to 81 In 1892. Seven counties in ILL.,
hoiS report new spray rings in 1929.
stark county, Illinois, which organized
two rings in 1921. has become 80 inter-
ested In the care OF the farm orchard
that six Iower-machine rings and five
hand-mnchlne rings were organized In
the summer OF 1920, serving more than
100 home orchards.
Simple Organization Plan.
The plan of organization OF these
rings is kept as simple as possible The
men interested in spraying get to-
gether at one OF the extension meet
| ings and decide TO try cooperative
spraying. Usually n written agree
ment covering the method OF manag.
Inv hiSipnyS hn
ship OF equipment Of the ring Il pre-
pared and signed The kind Of equip.
nent, hand or power, Is selected and
the cost Is apportioned, schedule IL
made out and the members decide
whether some one member will spray
all the orchards for an agreed labor
price. or whether an outside person
Will he hired to do the work Each Of
the three plans has proved Ratisfac.
| tory. In Poweshiek county. Iowa. they
have found II most convenient to do the
work individually: in Stark county,
| Illinois the same plan Is followed. In
Union county. Iowa. the sons OF two
farmers operated the power-machne
| last season, one furnishing team and
the other a gasoline engine. They
| sprayed II orchards. some 800 trees.
completing each spray In two dnys, the
members giving little or no attention to
| the work Students Of Runnells Con
solidnted School In Polk county. Iowa.
sprayed practically al the orchards in
| their community. Advice rs to sprays
and time of applying is usually OBJ
| tanned from the county agent
Size Of Ring Varies.
| The size of the ring varies. avcrag.
! ing from three or four members In the
| smallest ones to twenty or more In the
| larger. The cost Of operation de-
| peuds. uf course. on several factors, the
type of equipment. whether labor Is
employed or the work done by members
for themselves. the distance between
orchards the number Of sprays put ON.
! and similar items. For one orchard In
Webster county. Iowa. where four
| sprays were applied. the average cost
OF material per tree was - cents, Ia
hor 33 cents depreciation on machinery
= cents. making total cost of - cents
per ll'' lVI NV l'HI iNNr " 'lii'h
county Nowa) ring spent 500 for
| equipment. material and III" labor Of
NV" men and tennis, and sprayed 800
trees four times \ l2-orchard ring or.
| ganiZcd in Johnson county, Iowa, sew
rral wears ngn, spends about ~ cents
per tree per spray, The results, a"-
rorIInr to the owners. more than iusil-
fy the smnll expenditure. In every
| case where the spraying was done as
| advised last season, the work accom-
pliShed It's object nnd the members
hnd plenty Of clean. sound home grown
apples Ia store for winter use. Tn"
Webster county orrhnrd produced NJ
Isr cent clean fruit. Fayctic county,
Iowa. reports In the sprayed orchards
~ per cent of the fruit ~ Glenn and
sound. and ~ per cent scnhhy and
wormy: the unsprnyed orchard showed
| II per cent sound. clean fruit and NJ
per cent srahby and wormy, Walwor'h
county. Wisconsin, SPRAY ring members
figured IN 1870 return ~ :Sh2 for
each dollar spent In spraying The
h"nrinv trees wor" sprayed fhr"" times.
Results of spray ring work IN Hardin
| county Iowa. IN fact were 80 good In
| 1ro" that III" disposal or the surplus
fruit wns u problem. rs none ~ 'h"
members had had my "sp"rl"n"" In
picking. packing or grading apples,
Twenty-Five men wer" shown Nv "N'"n'
sion workers how 10 pick ana pnck
their apples. using hum"'nndc equip.
m"n'. and III" surplus apples w"r" PM
on the market In baskets and boxes
| packed according 10 mnrk"' grades.