SOME INSECT PESTS OF THE ORCHARD. 149 



Mr. Kellogg: I wish to ask if the plum curculio does not 

 hatch before any foliage comes out? 



Prof. Ruggles : The plum curculio winters over in an adult 

 condition. They do not do any damage until the fruit is present, 

 but they do feed a little upon the opening bud and the young 

 leaves, so the only way you could get them is to put the arsenate 

 of lead spray on the leaves and buds, so they will eat it. The 

 dormant spray will not do much good. 



Mr. Kellogg: Could you kill them better then than after- 

 wards? 



Prof. Ruggles : Better as the fruit begins to form. 



Mr. Baldwin : Most of us buy the commercial lime-sulphur. 

 Is there any reason why we should not insist on their giving us 

 the readings of the strength ? 



Prof. Ruggles : Almost all the reliable firms do that. The 

 specific gravity readings are given on the container and tell you 

 what dilution to make, and most of them tell the whole truth. 



Lawns. — The proper time to reseed the lawn is a much mooted ques- 

 tion. It is the practice of the writer to get busy as early in August as con- 

 ditions will allow. Constant attention is the price of a good lawn, and one 

 must patch up the bare spots as soon as possible. One of the reasons set 

 forth against August seeding of lawns is that we usually have a spell of 

 dry weather at this time. We can, however, expect rains in early Septem- 

 ber, and by seeding near the end of the month there is not much chance 

 of failure. Last year I seeded a lawn in August, and for several nights 

 thereafter it rained hard. A splendid lawn was the result. Weed growth 

 is practically completed by this period of the year, so one does not find so 

 many weeds in an August sown lawn as is usually the case with spring 

 sown ones. 



Cranberry Culture. — "The proper soil for the culture of this berry 

 is a peaty alluvial soil. A peat bog, if not too deep, or any black land on 

 which wild bog cranberries now grow will present a suitable home for the 

 cultivated berry. Beds are sometimes made on an ordinary, very sandy 

 loam, but such soil requires the annual application of commercial fertilizer, 

 which is not required on black soil. Moreover, ordinary soil runs more to 

 •weeds than a peat soil does. A wet soil with the water just below the sur- 

 face should be selected. If land of this character is ditched and drained 

 until the water recedes to within twelve inches of the surface the results 

 will be satisfactory." — Canadian Horticulturist. 



Increase the vitality and the fruit-bearing ability of squashes, pumpkins 

 and melons by restricting the vine growth. As a rule the vines tend to 

 spread a great deal more than is necessary. Prevent this spreading by snip- 

 ping off the tip ends of the vines, preferably with a sharp knife, close to, but 

 just beyond a leaf stem. 



