144 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Juae, 1910. 



An orchard in which beans have been grrown as a cover crop. This crop is grown by a con- 

 siderable number of the growers in Southern Ontario. 



strawberries may suffer from a long 

 hot spell. It is needed then and needed 

 badly. It often makes the difference 

 between a good substantial profit and a 

 heavy loss. It is a good investment. 



An experiment to test the tempera- 

 ture of the soil at different depths on 

 the watered and unwatered blocks was 

 carried out last season. "We found that 

 the watered soil is somewhat lower in 

 temperature at six inch depths, ranging 

 from two to three degrees. It often 



equalled the unwatered soil tempera- 

 ture during the day, but it always 

 dropped much lower during the night. 

 The temperature at thirty inch depths 

 was warmer on the watered than the 

 unwatered soil. The greatest factors 

 in controlling soil temperatures are 

 heavy rains with low air temperatures 

 and the action of sunshine. Under or- 

 dinary conditions irrigation will not 

 lower the soil temperature to any 

 extent. 



Spraying at Different Dates' 



Prof. W. S- Blair, Kentville, N.S. 



IN order to gather information as to 

 the value of the early sprays as 

 compared with the later ones a 

 series of tests in w^ich plots were 

 sprayed twice before, 5nd twice after 

 the blossoms in 1915, were compared 

 with those sprayed once before the 

 blossoms and twice after. 



In one series of experiments the one 

 spray before the blossoms was put on 

 about midway between the first spray, 

 which was put on just after the leaf 

 buds were nicely opened May 17th, and 

 the second spray put on just before the 

 first petals opened May 31st, or just be- 

 fore or about the time the blossom 

 clusters were showing pink. This we 

 have called a midway spray. 



In the other test the one spray be- 

 fore blossoms Avas put on just before 

 the petals of the fiower clusters opened. 



There was a difference of from two 

 to three per cent, only in favor of two 

 sprays before the blossoms. The two 

 most important sprays were the ones 

 just before and just after blossoming. 

 From results obtained it would seem 

 that should the period between the 



• Extract from a 'paper read at the last an- 

 nual convention of the Nova Scotia Fruit 

 Growers' Association 



opening of the leaf buds and the open- 

 ing of the petals of the flower clusters 

 be short owing to weather conditions, 

 one spray may be sufficient to give 

 practically clean fruit, but should this 

 period be extended two sprays should 

 be given. 



A study of results from soluble sul- 

 phur plots sprayed at different dates 

 indicates that the early spray was quite 

 an important one, and that the two 

 applications before the blossoms were 

 advisable. On the day following the 

 application of the midway spray at 

 Berwick there was a sharp rainfall of 

 about quarter of an inch, as was the 

 case with the spray after blossoming, 

 which showed that soluble sulphur is 

 not an adhesive spray, and that a 

 heavy, quick rainfall may reduce its 

 fungicidal value and bring about in- 

 creased burning, as was the case with 

 these sprays. 



It would seem, therefore, that it is 

 wise to make two anplications before 

 blossoms : first after the leaf buds open, 

 and second just before the blossoms 

 onen, which dates correspond with 

 those advised for the best control of 

 insects. 



Fruit Pests to Fight Now 



J i: you are a cherry grower and have 

 been troubled in pi'evious seasons with 

 \\hitc maggots in the cherries, spray 

 just before the blush begins to appear 

 on the Montmorencies, using the fol- 

 lowing mixture: Two to three pounds 

 arsenate of lead (paste) to forty gal- 

 lons water, sweetened by the addition 

 of one gallon of cheap molasses. L* 

 not spray the early varieties at this 

 time. In applying the spray, the treen 

 should be given just a moderately thor- 

 ough application, so that nearly every 

 leaf will be lightly covered. 



Pear slug is troublesome on both 

 pears and cherries. The small, blackish, 

 slug-like larvae feed on the upper sur- 

 face of the leaves, causing the foliage 

 to present a brovv'nish appearance. 

 They can be easily controlled by spray- 

 ing with two or three pounds of arsen- 

 ate of lead to forty gallons watei-, 

 whenever the slugs are numerous 

 enough to warrant it, unless the fruit is 

 beginning to ripen, applying the spray 

 to the upper surface of the leaves. If 

 you have only a few trees, dust them 

 with hellebore or air-slaked lime. 



The brown rot of peaches, plums and 

 cherries annually causes great loss to 

 Ontario fruit growers. For peaches, 

 spray with self-boiled lime-sulphur 

 about one month after the fruit has set. 

 If the trees have been well pruned 

 earlier in the year, so as to admit 

 plenty of sunshine and a free circula- 

 tion of air, the disease is much easier 

 controlled on both plums and cherries, 

 as well as peaches, as it thrives most in 

 a close, humid atmosphere. If rot starts 

 to develop as the fruit of either plums 

 or cherries is ripening, spray with am- 

 moniacal copper carbonate (copper 

 carbonate, five ounces; ammonia, three 

 pints; water, forty-five gallons). Go 

 through the orchard after the fruit is 

 all harvested, pick or knock all dis- 

 eased fruit from the trees and bury or 

 plough under. These "mummy" fruits 

 if allowed to hang on the trees, serve 

 to carry the disease over till the follow- 

 ing season. 



Pear blight cannot be controlled b 

 spraying. The only effective remedy v 

 to keep the diseased wood cut ou" 

 Throughout the growing season, watcii 

 for and remove promptly all blighted 

 twigs or branches as they appear, cut- 

 ting well below the diseased portion. 

 Disinfect pruning tools and cuts at 

 once with corrosive sublimate, one to 

 one thousand. 



Strawberries are about ninety-seven 

 per cent, water, and as this water 

 forms in the berries while they are ma- 

 turing and ripening, it is essential that 

 the plants be supplied with plenty of 

 moisture during the fruiting season. 



