FRUITS AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CHAPTER XXII 



POT FRUITS-TROUBLESOME DISEASES AND INSECT PESTS 



ONE of the best preventives against fungous growths and noxious pests 

 is a clean start. The very ijest time for house cleaning is when the 

 trees are dormant. They may then be cleaned in short order by 

 fumigating with hydrocyanic acid gas, if the grower understands how to use 

 it, but in careless hands this may cause considerable damage. I have described 

 the method of handling it in another chapter, to which I refer the reader. The 

 trees may also be washed down where time is no object, and here also it should 

 be noted that it is not safe to use a very strong wash on the fruit-bearing wood 

 of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, etc. The safest way is to wash all the wood 

 except the fruiting wood, as the fruit buds are very easily damaged. This 

 may not be noticed until the trees have started growth, when the injured fruit 

 buds will drop instead of developing. 



A solution of whale oil soap makes a very good wash, using enough soap 

 to cause a lather, provided the same strength is not used on the fruit buds. 

 Gishurst's compound also makes a good wash. 



With a clean start half the battle toward having clean fruit trees during 

 their season of growth is accomplished — that is, with good treatment — but 

 carelessness in the matter of temperature or checks of any kind will invite the 

 spread of insect pests and diseases. Insects, as a rule, will not attack a strong, 

 vigorous tree half as readily as they will a weak one, and the same may be said 

 of fungous diseases. Any pot tree that shows signs of weakness or deterioration 

 should be discarded, regardless of age; it is only occupying valuable room to no 

 purpose, and will cause no end of trouble. Two or three sickly trees among 

 fifty healthy ones will show up more prominently than all the others put to- 

 gether, thus detracting from the appearance of the house. 



Green fly undoubtedly causes more trouble among pot trees than it does 

 when it attacks trees planted in the border, that is, when they are in blossom 

 and before the fruit is set. With free use of the syringe, there is no excuse 

 for green (ly. Anyone who has handled pot fruit knows what havoc green fly 

 may make within a few days. It spreads rapidly and the damage which it can 

 accomplish within a short time is almost incredible. It is much better to fumi- 

 gate the house, in order to eradicate the pest, than to spray the trees too severely; 

 and smoking the house a few nights in succession is better than too strong an 

 application at one time. 



