388 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 10, 1910. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 



PLANT PROTECTION IN BRITISH 



COLUMBIA. 



Extracts from a report bj' the Chief Inspector of fruit 

 and other trees, British Columbia, have been received from 

 the Agent-General. These deal with the measures that are 

 taken to prevent the introduction of insects and other pests 

 into the orchards and gardens of the Province. 



The report shows that all trees and plants are inspected 

 individually, and that the inspection is not confined to 

 imported nursery stock alone, but is e.xtended to all the local 

 nurseries. Even selling or shipment of plants is not per- 

 mitted, until they have been examined by a capable inspector. 

 During the first four months of the present viar, the number 

 of imported plants insjiected was nearly two and three-quarter 

 million, and there is a likelihood that this number will reach 

 four million before the end of the year. Tlie fact that this 

 import exceeds, by 173 per cent., the quantity imported 

 during any previous year, is a valuable sign of the rapid 

 development of fruit-growing in British Columbia. Although 

 the labour involved in inspecting and repacking the 

 individual plants has been very great, there have been no 

 complaints of miscarriage. 



The essentially useful nature of the work is indicated 

 by the fact that two colonies of the caterpillars of the gyp.--y 

 moth were discovered among the importations, and destroyed. 

 When it is considered that the existence of this pest, alone, 

 has caused an expenditure of millions of dollars in the United 

 States, especially in Massachusetts and the adjoining New 

 England States, the value of the work that is being done in 

 preventing the importation of such insects is easily realized. 

 It is pointed out in the report, in connexion with this matter, 

 that the knowledge of similar facts and conditions makes it 

 impossible to afford the taking of the slightest chance of the 

 introduction of such pests into British Columbia, and that any 

 delay at the inspecting station, on account of the examination, 

 which may have been complained of, has been well justified. 



The work in connexion with the deliverj' of plants from 

 local nurseries has caused the condemnation and destruction 

 of some 16,000 trees grown in such nurseries, during the 

 seven months ending April 30, 1910. It is a matter for 

 encouragement that this system of local nursery inspection is 

 very popular with fruit growers, who now regard it as a neces- 

 sary additional protection. 



THE PROPAGATION OF MANGOS 

 BY CIRCUMPOSITION. 



A communication has been received from Mr. T. .Jackson, 

 Curator of the Botanic Station, Antigua, which states that 

 recent attempts to propagate the mango by the ordinary 

 methods at the Scott's Hill expeiiment station in that island 

 have been failures, because of drought. At the time at 

 which thi." work was being done, an attempt was made at the 

 Botanic Station to propagate the plant by circumposition. 

 This was successful. 



The procedure was to select shoots, each possessing 

 a diameter of about A inch. In working, the cut in these 

 was made sufficiently deeii to enter the cambium. The cut 

 ]iart of the stem was then tied up in jiieces of split bamboo, 

 the hollow places being filled with soil. Subsequent atten- 

 tion merely included an occasional watering of the plants. 



It is suggested by Mr. .Tackson that this method should 

 afford a simple way of laising mangos of choice varieties. 

 It possesses an advantage over grafting by approach, in that 

 the latter requires the possession of a stock at least two 

 years old. The further suggestion is made that the better 

 types of cacao might be propagated in this manner. Experi- 

 ments in this direction are being carried out at the Botanic 

 Station. 



CLEANSING FRUIT TREES. 



We have figures for two important items in connexion 

 with citrus trees: (1) for washing to clear off white scale, 

 moss, lichen and all parasites: (2) for picking off young fruit 

 that comes at the wrong time-, and would have retarded the 

 early crop aimed at. 



The liand-washing with lime and sulphur wa-sh, includ- 

 ing cost of wash, cost about lid. per tree; picking off' the 

 fruit, which was laborious as the fruit was small, cost about 

 1'/. per tree. December is the time of the year to clean down 

 the fruit trees. If white scale is present (if there is copious 

 and continuous rain little scale is seen) u.se the lime and 

 sulphur wash; but for moss and lichen, lime wash alone. 



Grape fruit and orange trees can be worked to bear in 

 August and September. Woodashcs spread around the 

 roots — not heaped up against them, if orange trees — will help 

 them considerably towards bearing large, .good-keeping fruit. 

 {Bulletin of the Department of A'/riculture, Bahamas, 

 Vol. V, No.' 3). ■ • ■ ^ 



