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76 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



April, 1908 



Applying Lime-Sulphur Wash 



R. M. Wioilow, Gaelph 

 The lime-sulphur wash for spraying 

 was discussed at the short course in 

 fruit growing held early in February at 

 the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, 

 by Mr. Robt. Thompson of St. Cath- 

 arines and others. Mr. Thompson spoke 

 of his use of the lime-sulphur wash, in 

 which he thoroughly believes. As to 

 its caustic effect, he stated that they no 

 longer go to the trouble of covering the 

 horses, or protecting the operators, ex- 

 cept to vaseline the hands. Experience 

 has proved that there is little in the talk 

 about injury to harness, clothing, and 

 so forth. The man who boils the wash 

 is rather liable to take colds because of 

 the sulphur. Mr. Thompson and several 

 other St. Catharines' growers have their 

 wash boiled at one plant, a method by 



parts may have to be replaced every 

 few days. Even where there is no San- 

 Jose scale, lime-sulphur will pay for its 

 application, by destroying peach leaf curl 

 on peaches, oyster-shell bark-louse and 

 almost all other scale insects on other 

 trees, and it removes moss and fungus. 



Spraying on The Coldstream Estate, British Columbia. 



Photograph by B. T. Boies. 



Pruning Bush Fruits 



H. S. Peart, Jordan Harbor, Ont. 



The pruning of bush fruits is very oft- 

 en neglected, whereas a little time and 

 labor at this season may be made to give 

 large returns. The fruiting habit of the 

 red currant and gooseberry are so near- 

 ly alike, that the same methods of prun- 

 ing may be practiced on each. The fin- 

 est and largest fruits are produced around 

 the base of short spurs coming out from 

 the two and three year old wood. This 

 gives us a clue 

 to the methods 

 of pruning. A 

 good rule and 

 one easily car- 

 ried out is to 

 remove each 

 year the two 

 oldest canes at, 

 or near the 

 ground, and to 

 allow two new 

 strong shoots to 

 take their plac- 

 es. Cut out all 

 other new shoots 

 starting from 

 the ground. 

 Head back these 

 two new shoots 

 fully one half to 

 induce forma- 

 tion and growth 

 of new lateral 

 shoots near the 



which it costs them only eighty cents per 

 forty-gallon barrel, ready to spray. 



The sulphur used must be finely 

 ground in order to get the best results. 

 Twenty pounds of lime and eighteen of 

 sulphur to forty gallons of water,- boiled 

 forty-five to sixty minutes very vigorous- 

 ly, is highly satisfactory. Mr. Thomp- 

 son said that some growers intend to 

 use a long tank set on bricks for the boil- 

 ing, with a fire under it. This method 

 will be cheaper for most circumstances, 

 although it occasions a slightly greater 

 loss of sulphur through volatilization, 

 and so a little more in proportion should 

 be uspi. Mr. Thompson had his best 

 result., from Port Colbourne lime which 

 is by analysis, the finest in Ontario. 



A fine nozzle, a well strained wash, 

 good pressure of ninety to one hundred 

 pounds, and a fair amount of wind, 

 are essential to spraying lime-sulphur. 

 As nozzles wear rapidly, the wearing 



ground. All the new growths from the 

 remaining old canes should be headed 

 back if the variety is a strong grower 

 and is likely to produce an excessive 

 amount of wood at the expense of fruit. 



Many people who make the mistake 

 of treating the black currants the same 

 as red currants, wonder why they get 

 such small yields of fruit. It will be 

 observed that while the reds bear their 

 fruit around the base of the new shoots, 

 the blacks produce their fruit towards 

 the tips of the new growths. By remov- 

 ing a portion of the new growth, which 

 arises from the two and three year old 

 wood, half or more of the crop may be 

 removed at the same time. 



As blacks are usually very vigorous, 

 three new canes may be allowed to grow 

 each year and three old ones cut out, 

 leaving a bush of eight or ten canes, 

 instead of five to seven as recommended 

 with red currants and gooseberries. The 



new canes should be headed back se- 

 verely but never make the mistake of 

 heading-in the lateral shoots if a large 

 yield is desired. 



Arsenate of Lead 



R. M. Wintlow, Guelph 



At the short course in fruit growing 

 held at the Ontario Agricultural College, 

 Guelph, Prof. R. Harcourt spoke chief- 

 ly of the two great classes of insecticides, 

 the food poisons, of which arsenous ox- 

 ide (white arsenic) is usually the active 

 principle, as in Paris green, London pur- 

 ple, lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, 

 "Bug Death," and so forth, and the con- 

 tact poisons, of which lime-sulphur and 

 kerosene emulsion are the most used. 

 With regard to the food poisons, Prof. 

 Harcourt said that some classes of in- 

 sects were becoming harder to kill with 

 arsenic, and that possibly in the future 

 we will have to find some other food 

 poison. At any rate, it seems necessary 

 to use somewhat more Paris green than 

 was formerly used, especially the best 

 ones we have now. 



Arsenate of lead is replacing Paris 

 green, because it is slightly cheaper, it 

 "stays up" in the spray tank longer, ii 

 needs no lime, as it contains no free ar- 

 senous acid,' it sticks to the tree much 

 better, and there is absolutely no danger 

 of injuring the plant. Any man can 

 make his own more cheaply than he can 

 buy it, by procuring the following mater- 

 ials and mixing them according to the di- 

 rections, arsenate of soda, 10 ounces; 

 acetate of lead, 24 ounces; water, 150- 

 200 gallons. 



Dissolve the arsenate of soda in about 

 a gallon of cold water, in a wooden ves- 

 sel ; dissolve the acetate of lead similarly 

 and mix the solutions after diluting them 

 still more. Add water to bring up to 

 the quantity above stated. The average 

 wholesale price of arsenate of soda is 

 nine cents, and that of acetate of lead 

 seven cents. This solution contains just 

 as much arsenic as in a mixture of Paris 

 green containing 10 ounces to 100 gal-' 

 Ions. It can be applied, moreover, at- 

 three or four times the strength and will 

 not do injury to the leaf. 



Most orchards are too heavily pruned, 

 in fact a great many of them are butch- 

 ered. Every section has a "profes- 

 sional" 'pruner, and the growers listen 

 to his talk and follow his example. 

 The result is many trees are practically 

 ruined. — D. Johnston, Forest, Ont. i5 



The Canadian Horticulturist would 

 like to hear oftener from readers who 

 grow raspberries, blackberries, currants, 

 or gooseberries. Send for publication 

 a description of your patch and tell how 

 you plant, cultivate, prune, pick and^ 

 market. 



