16 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



18 in. each season. All leaf-eating insects may be kept off 

 by spraying with Paris green. The Appleworm or codlin- 

 moth may be kept in check by spraying with Paris green as 

 soon as the blossoms fall, and again a week or ten days 

 later. The leaf blight or apple -scab fungus may be kept in 

 check by spraying with Bordeaux mixture just before the 

 flowers open, and again after they fall (see Spraying}. A 

 close watch should be kept for borers. Whenever the bark 

 appears to be dead or sunken in patches, remove it and 

 search for the cause. A borer will usually be found under- 

 neath the bark. About the base of the tree the most serious 

 injury occurs from borers, since the insect which enters 

 there bores into the hard wood. His presence can be de- 

 termined by the chips which are cast from his burrows. The 

 only remedy is to dig out the larvae. If they have got far 

 into the wood, they can be killed by running a flexible wire 

 into the burrows. 



Apple trees should begin to bear when three to five years 

 planted, and at ten years should be bearing good crops. 

 With good treatment, they should continue to bear for thirty 

 or more years. It is cheaper to buy trees from the nursery 

 than to attempt to raise them for oneself. 



The dwarf Apples are secured by grafting any variety 

 on the Paradise or Doucin stocks, which are simply small- 

 growing varieties of Apples. Dwarfs are much used in the Old 

 World. There is no reason why they should not be used for 

 home gardens in this country. They may be planted 8 to 

 10 ft. apart, and trained in various ways. The body or 

 trunk should not be more than 1 or 2 ft. long. The top 

 should be headed- in each year a third or a half of the annual 

 growth. Dwarfs bear sooner than standards. A dwarf in 

 full bearing should produce from a peck to a bushel of 

 apples. Usually only the finer or dessert variety of Apples 

 should be grown on dwarf trees. 



Many of the local varieties of Apples are excellent 

 for home use. From the following list of dessert va- 



