lo June, 191 2.] 



Propagation of Fruit Trees. 



345 



■chemicals, &c., to combat diseases on iiand. Always keep the old adage 

 well in mind — "A stitch in time saves nine." The few illustrations of 

 -diseases are from original photographs. 



Chewing Insects. 



The Pear ami Cherrv Slug {Selandria Cerasi). — This small, dark-green 

 or, at first sight, blackish-looking, slimy caterpillar usually makes its ap- 

 pearance about the latter end of October or early in November, and attacks 

 the foliage of the cherry and pear, and, later on, the cherry plum family, 

 the quince, occasionally the plum. The eggs are readily discernible, being 

 deposited upon the upper side of the leaves, and 

 -are of a yellowish colour, about the size of a 

 pin's head. The perfect insect is a glossy black 

 small fly belonging to the saw fly order, 

 Hymenoftera, readily seen upon the foliage. The 

 William's Bon Chretien pear is generally the first 

 to be attacked in the nursery row. If this pest 

 is neglected, the larvse will quickly destroy the 

 foliage by eating off all of the epidermis or upper 

 surface of the leaves, thereby checking the growth, 

 and bringing about debilitated conditions. Treat- 

 ment. — Spray as soon as detected with any of the 

 leading brands of arsenate of lead — strength i lb. 

 to 25 gallons of water — or Hellebore powder, i lb. 

 to 30 gallons of water. Moisten the powder with 

 a little water to make a paste before adding the 

 full quantity of water ; strain before using ; keep 

 well agitated whilst applying. Spray upon a fine 

 dry day. 



Pinara Apple Grub iPinara Nana). — The larvae 

 of this pest are most voracious, stripping the 

 young apple trees of their foliage in a very short 

 while j also eating the tops of the growing shoots. 

 The loss of the foliage gives the trees a serious 

 check through interfering with the assimilation and 

 elaboration of the sap and plant food. Upon 

 noticing the first signs of attack the propagator 

 should carefully examine along the stems of the 

 young shoots and branches for the larvse, which, 

 owing to their protective colour, resembling that 

 of the bark, combined with their habit of lying 

 close to the bark, make them hard to detect. The 

 larvse when full grown are about 2 inches 

 in length. From observations the writer finds 

 chiefly at night, lying close to the bark during the day-time. Treat- 

 rnent. — As a serious attack from this pest in the nursery is of rare 

 occurrence, the destruction of the few larvse when first detected generally 

 suffices to check its spread. If indications point to a severe attack, spray 

 with arsenate of lead. If the well-known native bird, black-faced cuckoo 

 shrike, Graucalus Melanops (Lath.) is in the locality, it should be rigidly 

 protected, as the writer has upon many occasions watched these birds doing 

 great service in a nursery eradicating this pest. 



Painted Apple Moth {Teia Anartoides) (Walk). — The small hairy cater- 

 pillar " larvse " of this moth have an especial liking for the foliage of the 

 apple, eating off the upper portion, or epidermis, very quickly, at times 



