206 FUMIGATION METHODS 



the tree. The trees were treated in the hottest part of 

 the day. This, added to the overcharge of cyanide, 

 caused many of the leaves to fall; yet it had little or 

 no effect on the fruit, and all the scales were killed, 

 Two-thirds of the dose would have been quite sufficient 

 to have cleaned the trees. 



L,emons and mandarins stand the fumigation much 

 better than the orange. Taking two trees of equal 

 size and treating them with the same charge, while 

 the mandarin would not show any ill effect, the orange 

 tree would lose a few of its leaves. Mr. Allen, there- 

 fore, recommends always treating the latter at night 

 or on cool and dull days. The night treatment appears 

 to be the best, as a charge which would in the day- 

 time remove leaves, and, perhaps, burn the tender 

 parts of the twigs, would have no detrimental effect 

 where the work was performed at night. He thinks 

 that lemons and mandarins can be treated with very 

 good results during the daytime, except on very hot 

 days. 



When Mr. Allen first commenced his fumigating 

 experiments in New South Wales the price of tents 

 was so high as to make it appear to growers that this 

 method of treating trees was quite out of the reach of 

 the average fruit-grower ; but several large growers, 

 rather than pay a high price for material, bought 

 strong calico and sail-cloth, and made tents from these 

 materials, and these, after a fair trial, have stood the 

 test quite as well as the more expensive duck tents, 

 and cost only about one-quarter as much. 



The cost of material for tents made of sail-cloth 6 

 feet wide, estimated by Mr. Allen, is as follows for the 



