10 Sept., 1917.] Orchard ami Garden Notes. 573 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



E. S. Pescott, F.L.S., I'nmologist. 



The Orchard. 



Spraying. 



The peaoh aphis will now have madt' its appearance in orchards 

 which were not sprayed with the red oil emulsion in the winter. The 

 tobacco solution will now be required, and this may be sprayed on as 

 strongly as the grower v\ i<hes. If possible, a second spraying should 

 be repeated quickly after the first operation, so as to kill any aphides 

 previously protected by the others, or any that may have only been 

 weakened by the first operation. 



The time has also arrived when spraying is needful for the pre- 

 vention of all fungus diseases, such as shothole or scab, black spot, leaf 

 rust, leaf curl, &c. In the case of these pests, " prevention better than 

 cure" is the invariable rule; and to delay beyond the correct period 

 the application of the necessary sprays is to court disaster. For black 

 spot of the apple and pear, the spraying should be performed as soon 

 as the earliest flowers are opening. For shothole and scab the time 

 to spray is before the flower petals expand ; and the spraying may be 

 repeated, if necessary, after the fruit has set. 



For rust and leaf curl the spray should be applied before any sign 

 of the trouble appears on the foliage ; thus, if the fungus were present 

 during the previous season, it will be necessary to spray early to comhat 

 it successfully. 



The basis of all the successful fungicides is sulphate of copper or 

 bluestone. Bordeaux mixture (a mixture of bluestone, lime, and 

 water, known as the 6.4.40 formula), is used; the materials and quan- 

 tities being 6 lbs. bluestone, 4 lbs. lime, and 40 gallons water. 



Another spray, and in some locations equally successful in its re- 

 sults as the Bordeaux mixture, is the copper-soda spray, the propor- 

 tions being 6 lbs. bluestone, 8 lbs. washing soda, and 40 gallons of 

 water. In each case the materials should be separately dissolved, and 

 then evenly and simultaneously mixed in a third vessel. 



It is very urgent that the lime should be thoroughly fresh and quick, 

 otherwise tlie spray mixtures will give very inferior results. A second 

 necessary point is that the copper sprays shoiild be used as soon as they 

 are made. Where the grower does not wish to make his own spray, there 

 are quite a number of ready-made Bordeaux pastes and Bordeaux mix- 

 tures already on the market, which can be used with satisfactory re- 

 sults. In fact, the use of these has become fairly general, and it is 

 not now the practice for growers to make their own sprays. 



General. 



It is most important that ploughing should be completed as early 

 as possible. In the past, it has very frequently happened that, owing 

 to delaying the ploughing, the orchard and the fi'uit crop have both 

 suffered very considerably. It is absolutely necessary to cultivate the 

 surface early, to take advantage of the moist surface and consequent 



