PARIS-GREEN. 7l 



to 20 gals, of water. That amount does uot injure my Plum foliage, 

 while it kills the caterpillars ; and, of course, there is no reason why 

 the same dose should spare the caterpillars on any other foliage. 

 What, then, is the use of employing anything stronger ? * The essential 

 is that the liquid be syringed carefully in dull weather, and be con- 

 stantly and thoroughly stirred all the time of using. Very few people 

 yet seem to take any trouble to know whether the eggs are there at all ; 

 whereas, if they look carefully, they would find that the hatching-out 

 period extends over three months, which was my reason for syringing 

 ten times over three years ago. The leaves at first, during my 

 apprenticeship, were much burned, but the trees did not seem to suffer; 

 and the next year I had to syringe only three times. This year I have 

 only syringed once, and I finished off the caterpillars by having the 

 trees sharply shaken, and the fowls ate all the pests. My whole field 

 has been a perfect sight this year, as to the Apple trees, and I have 

 had a very satisfactory crop (which, however, was very materially 

 lessened, especially as to Plums and Pears, by the frost of the 16th 

 May). The promise of fruit — in the shape of buds — for next year is 

 splendid. 



"As to the danger in using Paris-green, for all practical purposes 

 it is non-existent. Of course, if a deadly poison is handled as one 

 would basic slag, no doubt there is danger ; but as I have used it here 

 more intensely probably than anyone else, I am in a position to alfirm 

 that only stupidity on the part of the operator can cause any bad 

 results. I should like to be able to report the entire disappearance of 

 the Winter Moth, but, as a matter of fact, he put in his appearance 

 about the same time as last year (Oct. 8th), and m,y gardener reports 

 that he swarms in the lanes. Mr. Watkins, of Withington, says the 

 same, so that we shall now be very vigilant. So far we have found no 

 eggs and very few moths in my field. 



♦* There is what seems to me an ignorant prejudice against grease- 

 banding. I do not practise it simply because my trees are pyramids, 

 but I am firmly convinced that in spite of some curious anomalies it 

 is the safest thing to do for standing trees ; only, the grease must not 

 touch the bark." 



The above observation of Mr. Lee Campbell as to absence of eggs 

 and moths on his own land, and prevalence in the lanes, confirms the 

 evidence of benefit from local destruction of the pests. The male 



• This, I think, is a very important consideration. The American and Canadian 

 economic entomologists have repeatedly written to me on the strangeness of the fact 

 that the Plum leafage here should bear such a much stronger application than with 

 them, where, in the words of one correspondent, " it would scorch every leaf off 

 the tree." Therefore, I certainly think that in giving the stronger quantity of 1 oz. 

 of Paris-green to 10 gallons of water, although we have good record of it answering, 

 we are working too near what may prove a danger. 



