White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-05-28
GROWERS DISCUSS SPRAY
RESIDUE PROBLEM


ing from the spray residue problem
confronting shippers and growers o
the northwest was discussed at a wei
attended meeting of White Bluffs ant
Hanford growers at the Brick school
house Monday evening. A delegation
from the Yakima Traffic & Credi,
association including E. R. Platte, !. H
Huff, B. A. Perhan, and P. r. Park, to-
gether with E. ]. Newcomer t,f the
Bureau of Entorno og7, U. S. De-
partment of Agriculture, and J. 1.
Griner, state horticultural inspector
each addressed the meeting and ac.
quainted the growers with the serious.
ness of the situation and what had
been done so far to counteract it.
Difficulties over spray residue on
apples first arose during the shipping
season in England where certain lots
of apples were not permitted ID go
on the market because of alleged in
furious amounts of arsenate on the
apples. Later similar trouble de-
veloped in this country and it is
understood that the federal bureau OF
chemistry has ruled that certain
amounts of arsenical residue on the
fruit will not be tolerated
AS result of the stand taken by
the officials of that bureau, north
western shippers have experienced a
great deal of trouble on account of
certain lots Of fruit being condemned
by the inspection force in the east.
Shippers and fruit men in the north
west have reached the conclusion that
the stand taken by the government
officials will be sustained and that the
solution must lie in such management
Of the spraying that there may be
TO Objectionable spray residue.
In line with that view a campaign
has been initiated by the Washing
ton State department of agriculture
through its horticultural inspection
force and in cooperation with traf-
fic associations to induce the grow
ers to do thorough spraying early in
the season and by this means OBJ
viate the necessity of cover sprays
after the first of July. With such a
spray program it is believed that no
difficulty with spray residue should
be experienced.
The apple growers of the state of
Washington have been circularized
to acquaint them with the situation
and series of meetings in the Yak
ina valley are now in progress to
further arouse the growers to the
seriousness of the situation and urge
them to do such thorough work
early in the season that there may
be no necessity of applying cover
sprays later. VI
Investigators are at work on means
of controlling the codling moth other
than the luse of arsenical sprays.
The British government has fixed
the liberation of one-hundredth of a
grain of lead that will be permitted
on apples but the government in this
country has not yet fixed toleration.
There is no definite information yet
available as to the amount of lead car
ried on the apples that have been mar
keted in the past; neither is it known
how much of the poison is still re-
tanned after the spray on the apples has
been exposed to the elements for any
length of time. These and other
questions in this connection are being
investigated by competent authorities
and it is expected that they will all
be answered before another season
rolls around. Every one connected in
any way with the fruit industry in the
northwest has been aroused by the
British regulations and the resultant
trouble in this country and it is not
improbable that through experiments
and investigations some method for
the control of the coddling moth other
than through arsenate of lead spray
may be devised.
Most of the fruit authorities fee
that there is little ground for the be-
lief that there is any danger in eating
fruit that has been sprayed with arse
nate of lead and that the present scar.
is largely imaginary. Search of the rec
ords has failed SO far to uncover any
deaths or even serious illness from thi.
cause. These authorities also feel
however, that the present condition
demands serious consideration ane
they are going to do everything il
Their power to counteract it.
All of the speakers at the meetin;
Monday night advised that no Leaf
spray be applied to the apples her,
after July 10 and that the apples b,
thoroughly wiped before being packed
They all said that if good job wa.
done in the early sprays that there
would be no necessity for the latel
ones. "If you get the first brood ther,
will be no second brood" said ]. 1