133 



to the ground to pupate. The beetle is 

 sluggish on dull days, and may then be 

 jarred off the canes on to tarred boards. 

 Arsenate of lead might be tried when the 

 beetle is seen on the buds and blossoms. 



Insecticides. 

 Spraying for insects may be divided up 

 into three classes: — 



1. Winter Washes — for the destruction 

 of scale, and cleaning trees of moss, 

 lichen and rough bark, all three of which 

 provide shelter for insects, pupae, and 

 hibernating larvae. 



2. Poison Washes — for destroying biting 

 mouthed insects such as caterpillars and 

 beetles. 



3. Contact Washes — for the destruction 

 of all Haustellate insects, i.e., insects 

 with sucking mouths such r.s Aphides. 



Winter Washing. 



Certainly not necessary every year so 

 far as insects are concerned. In the case 

 of a large plantation it is best to divide 

 it up into four areas and spray one portion 

 each year, taking them in rotation. 

 Winter washing is best applied in Febru- 

 ary or March, but it must not be I'^ft coo 

 late. 



Two excellent washes are as follows: — 



(1) Caustic soda (98 per cent. 



purity) 2 lbs. 



Water 10 gallons. 



(2) Perhaps an even better wash made 

 up with the following : — 



Quicklime 1 cwt. 



Salt 30 lbs. 



Waterglass 5 lbs. 



Water 100 gallons. 



Slake the lime in half the water, dissolve 

 the salt and waterglass in the other half. 

 Strain off the lime wash and mix the two. 



Poison or Summer Wash. 

 Arsenate of soda — pure crys- 

 tallised 3^ oz. 



Acetate of lead 7 oz. 



Water 10 gallons. 



If dry commercial arsenate of soda is 

 purchased, use only 2 oz. to 7 oz. acetate 

 of lead. 



Great care must be taken in mixing this 

 wash lest scorching takes place. It must 



always be used as a fine spray; and it 

 must be remembered that wash is poison- 

 ous to both man and animals and reason- 

 able care must be taken. Stop spraying 

 fruit four weeks before it is to be picked. 

 Growers generally purchase this mixture 

 as ready-made arsenate of lead paste, 

 which saves the work of mixing. 



Contact Washes. 



1. As nicotine paralyses rather than 

 poisons it is placed under this heading. 

 It is the most effective for aphides, psylla, 

 and young caterpillar, but does not harm 

 a large caterpillar. It is quite harmless 

 to the trees, even when in full bloom ; 

 moreover, it does not interfere with the 

 working of bees. 



Nicotine (98 per cent.) 1 oz. 



Soft Soap 2 oz. 



Water '. 10 gallons. 



2. Paraffin Jelly: — 



Paraffin 5 gallons. 



Soft Soap Bibs. 



Water 1 pint. 



Boil in a closed copper and add one 

 pint of cold water. Pour off into a 

 barrel and let cool. Use lOlbs. of jelly 

 so formed in 40 gallons water. 



3. Soft soap 1 lb. 



Quassia lib. 



Water 10 gallons. 



Soak the Quassia in water for a day, dis- 

 solve the soap in the remainder, and mix 

 the two. This wash is particularly useful 

 where " honey dew," the secretion from 

 aphides is bad. 



Forty gallon disused paraffin casks are 

 found very suitable for making-up spray- 

 ing mixtures. 



Spraying Calendar. 

 By C. a. W. Duffield, F.E.S. 



Jan. -March. — Apply winter wash, once in 

 three or four years. Caustic wash on 

 gooseberries for scale. Paraffin or Sul- 

 phur for red spider. 



Jan. -Feb. — Lime and salt to prevent 

 hatching of plum aphis, and to keep 

 birds from buds. 



Feb. -April. — Lime and salt for sucker on 

 apple. 



April. — Just before apple buds burst spray 

 with arsenate of lead. Also spray rasp- 



