Letters on the Diseases of Flants. 27 



vain the vendor says, " Oh, that ? That's nothing ; quite harmless !" The 

 customer shakes his head, and can be tempted only with a low price. 

 Unfortunately this is not the Avorst feature of the case. Many trees are 

 now suifering so much from Melanose that the crops are diminishing ; and I 

 have seen trees in a dying condition, that seemed to be suffering principally 

 from this disease. 



Remedies. 



1. Prune the trees rather severely, taking the precaution to remove the 

 branches that show the most disease. Prune with an eye to spraying, that 

 is, leave the tree so that every part will be accessible to the spraying macliine 

 nozzle. Bui'n the cuttings. 



2. Begin as soon as the fruit has set, and spray with Bordeaux mixture, 

 of one-half the usual strength, once every ten days or two weeks, until 

 about a month before the fruit ripens. The Bordeaux should contain only 

 3 lb. of copper sulphate to 40 gallons of water, or it may even be more 

 diluted than this. Bordeaux mixture of the usual strength sometimes injures 

 orange trees. 



Fig. 29.— Four oranges attacked by Melanose (?), showing the curved markings caused by the 

 peculiar arrangement of the small diseased spots. Though these small spots may run 

 together, more or less, so as to cause brownish patches somewhat resembling Maori, they 

 never become amalgamated into the vmiform continuous colouration characteristic of the 

 latter disease. However much they may nm together they never cease to be spots ; so that 

 auy patches of colouration they may cause are discontinuous— palpably made up of spots. 



3. Spray the trunk and larger branches with thin whitewash or full 

 strength Bordeaux mixture. 



4. Apply to the ground under each tree half a pound or more of sulphate 

 of iron in 25 gallons of water; all the better if applied during a dry spell. 



5. Give the trees phosphate and potash manures, but avoid organic nitro- 

 genous manures, such as dried blood and rich stable manure. The use of 

 somewhat bleached stable manure that will act also as a mulch is not hereby 

 deprecated. 



