46 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



known as the oyster shell bark-louse, and the color of the bark, others 

 more flattened and whitish, unless they can be entirely removed. It is 

 only safe to entirely reject such cions; if only a few out of thousands 

 are used that are infested with these bark-lice, they will infest the whole 

 nursery; a few cions of a special variety might be cleared from them. 



3 a. — Cultivation the First Year. 



Thorough and clean cultivation from planting until the first of Aug- 

 ust for grafts and seedlings, and other things to be taken up in the fall, 

 until they are taken up. This clean culture not only keeps noxious 

 insects from accumulating, but gives the plants vigor to withstand their 

 attacks, and also of mildew (fungi). The plants should not be too 

 crowded in the rows, as this would induce a weak growth, rendering 

 them liable to attacks of mildew and insects. Apple grafts should not 

 be cultivated later than the middle of July to the first of August, and at 

 the last working should have corn or oats sown thickly among them, or 

 the seed for a crop of fall turnips ; this to check and ripen up for winter. 

 No sod-forming grasses should be allowed to grow near the nursery, as it 

 affords breeding places and hiding (wintering) places for many noxious 

 insects, such as white grubs (young of the May beetle), with worms (lar- 

 vae of Elators), cut worms (various larvae oi A gratis), army worms (larvae 

 of Lucania), and of numerous species of leaf-hoppers. 



Insects and mildews (fungi) injurious to the leaves of seedlings and 

 root grafts, can be kept in subjection or destroyed by a free use of the 

 following combination of lime and sulphur — it may be called the bi-sul- 

 phate of lime : Take of quick or unslaked lime 4 parts, and of common 

 flour of sulphur i part (4 pounds of sulphur to one peck of lime) ; break 

 up the lime in small bits, then, mixing the sulphur with it in a tight ves- 

 sel (iron best), pour on them enough boiling waier to slake the lime to a 

 powder, cover in the vessel close as soon as the water is poured on. (This 

 makes also a most excellent whitewash for orchard trees, and is very use- 

 ful as a preventive of blight on pear trees, to cover the wounds in the 

 form of a paste when cutting away diseased parts ; also for coating the 

 trees in April. It may be considered as the one specific for many noxi- 

 ous insects and mildew in the orchard and nursery. Its materials should 

 always be ready at hand ; it should be used quite fresh, as it would in 

 time become sulphate of lime, and so lose its potency. Wherever dusting 

 with lime is spoken of, this should be used. This preparation should be 

 sprinkled over the young plants soon as, or before, any trouble from leaf- 

 lice {Aphides), mildew, mould (fungi), thrips or leaf-hoppers appear, early 

 in the morning, while the dew is on. (This lime and sulphur combina- 

 tion is destructive to these things in this way: firstly, by giving off sul- 

 phuric acid gas, which is deadly poison to minute life of nearly (?) every 

 kind, both animal and fungoid ; and the lime destroys by contact the 

 same things. Besides, its presence is noxious to them. Neither is injuri- 

 ous to common vegetable life, except in excess, except the lime to the foli- 

 age of evergreens.) 



Note. — The above applies especially to the first year of the nursery. 



