March, 1908 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



53 



Difficulties in Spraying 



Robt Thompson, St. Catharines, Ontario 



obtained from the Shenandoah Nurseries, 

 Shenandoah, Iowa, and other large 

 wholesale nurseries. — W. T. Macoun. 



S the season for spraying is rapidly 

 approaching, we find many of our 

 growers dreading the work of ap- 

 ying the lime and sulphur wash. In the 

 reparation of this mixture, if there is 

 boiling plant nearby, and the grower 

 fishes to prepare his material cheaply 

 id efficiently, he can make a plank box 

 jtbout three or four feet wide, from five 

 seven feet long and twelve inches 

 igh. Secure a sheet of boiler plate 

 will project a couple of inches out- 

 side of box. Fasten the box to the 

 iron securely by means of screws 

 Ihrough drilled holes. 



strainer fifty meshes to the inch. Fine 

 nozzles can then be used, and no trouble 

 will be experienced from clogging. 

 Better work can be done with small 

 nozzles, and less material used. 



Spray the first time about two-thirds 

 of the tree from the windy side ; then 

 when there is a change of wind to one of 

 the opposite quarters, the other third 

 can be sprayed. A good breeze is 

 found to be a good aid in spraying, 

 especially for large trees. Be sure and 

 cover every spot on the trees. 



When spraying with Bordeaux mix- 

 ture and poison- for codling moth, see 



Government Power Sprayer at Work in Orchard of C. C. H. Eaton, Canard, Nova Scotia 



jA fire-place can be built of bricks so 

 that the boiler plate will rest on brick- 

 work. Leave open at end, and put in 

 two or three lengths of stove pipe. 

 Limbs or brush can be used for firing. 

 This makes the cheapest place for boil- 

 ing lime and sulphur. The back end of 

 the box can be lowered a little, and a 

 large faucet put in to run the liquid 

 out of the pan. 



For fifty gallons of mixture put fifteen 

 gallons of water in the pan. Bring to a 

 boil and add twenty-two pounds of good 

 fresh lime. Have eighteen pounds of 

 finely ground sulphur mixed to a paste 

 previously in hot water. Pour this in 

 on the lime. When the lime begins to 

 slack, stir occasionally. Boil for one 

 or two hours or until the mixture turns 

 a greenish color. Keep boiling vigor- 

 ously all the time. Add more water to 

 make the fifty gallons. The last few 

 gallons added may be of cold water so 

 that the mixture, if going directly into 

 the pump to be used, will not be boiling 

 and thus injure the hose. Great care 

 should be exercised in straining into the 

 tank, using for the last straining a 



that every leaf and twig is covered, and 

 every apple covered so that the poison 

 will have filled the calyx end of the fruit. 

 Thoroughness in every particular is one 

 of the secrets of success in spraying. 



StocKs for Grafting 



I-intend planting an orchard of plums, apples 

 and some peaches, the latter in a sheltered 

 location, and am desirous of budding my own 

 trees. What stocks are most hardy for this 

 locality, and where can I procure seedlings for 

 the purpose? Are the French Myrobolan and 

 St. Julien seedling plum stocks used in Canada? 

 — T. G., Mono Centre, Ont. 



The Myrobolan and St. Julien stocks 

 should both be hardy enough in your 

 district. The former is, we believe, the 

 stock most generally used by nursery- 

 men. The apple seedlings used in the 

 nursery trade should prove satisfactory. 

 For peaches we should suggest using the 

 Americana plum in your district, as they 

 arc hardier than the peach stock, and 

 the peach unites readily with them. If 

 seedling stocks cannot be obtained from 

 Canadian nurserymen, and we have not 

 seen anv advertised, thev could be 



Apples to Glas^o-w 



Where are the best flavored apples grown in 

 Ontario, and what prices do the growers get per 

 barrel on the trees? What is the freight rate 

 per carload of apples from Toronto to Montreal, 

 and how many barrels are allowed to the car? — 

 F. Paterson, Glasgow, Scotland. 



The cost for freight and other charges, 

 per barrel, from Ontario points to 

 Glasgow, varies from 90 cents to $1.10 

 per barrel. It is generally conceded 

 that the district north of Lake Ontario, 

 and including the central portion of 

 Ontario to Lake Huron and the Georgian 

 Bay, grows the best winter apples for 

 commercial purposes. The capacity of 

 cars varies from 150 to 200 barrels. 



"White Fly on House Plants 



What can I do to get rid of a sort of louse that 

 is ruining my house plants? They are like tiny 

 white flies and cover the under side of the leaves 

 with little eggs. When you touch the plants 

 they fly off to others. They are especially bad 

 on my fuchsias, heliotrope and nicotine, but do 

 not molest geraniums or begonias. I have tried 

 several remedies, but the pest seems to thrive 

 and multiply at a great rate. Have washed 

 the plants with tobacco water, soap suds, coal 

 oil, and have had them smoked on, but all to no 

 purpose? — ^J. W., Scarboro Jet., Ont. 



The insect mentioned is probably 

 what is known as the white fly, A leyrodes 

 vaporarium, and is a comparatively new 

 insect pest to plant growers. In green- 

 houses it can be easily kept down by 

 the fumes of hydrocyanic gas. This 

 latter must not, however, be used by 

 amateur plant growers in a dwelling 

 house under ordinary conditions, as the 

 fumes are fatal to almost all animate 

 life of any kind, hence it cannot be used 

 without great danger to human life as 

 well as insect life. A very strong solu- 

 tion of soapy water — one ounce of 

 common soap dissolved in a quart of 

 warm water and allowed to cool — is a 

 good remedy. This should be sprinkled 

 thoroughly on the underneath side of the 

 foliage once or twice a week with a fine 

 rubber sprinkler. Scollay's angle or 

 bent nozzle rubber sprinkler is the best 

 appliance for this purpose. It can be 

 purchased at seed stores. After sprink- 

 ling, before the foliage is quite dry, dust 

 on some Pyrethrum powder, or tobacco 

 dust made from a dry cigar. This also 

 should be dusted on the under side of 

 the leaves, with a Jumbo Powder Gun, 

 which can be purchased at .seed stores. 

 The soap solution has been used efifect- 

 tively by some florists in keeping down 

 this pest in greenhouses. Keeping the 

 under side of the foliage sprinkled with 

 clear, tepid water as often as possible is 

 a good preventive, as the fly delights in 

 a dry atmosphere, and does not like 

 moisture. In sprinkling, dampen all 

 parts of the foliage and stems of plants. 

 — Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Guelph. 



J9ki_ 



