238 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Additional Papers Presented at the 

 Annual Meeting. 



Fungicides and Insecticides. 



It is only about forty years since the crudest methods of 

 spraying were practiced, and it is now one of the most import- 

 ant factors in fruit production, or any other branch of agri- 

 culture for that matter, as there are more insect and fungous 

 diseases than there were a hundred years ago. There are four 

 reasons why we are troubled more than formerly : 



First, the clearing of the land has driven the insects onto 

 cultivated plants. 



Second; this change of living gave them more and better 

 food, causing rapid increase of numbers. 



Third, modern means of transportation have spread them 

 from one end of the country to the other. 



Fourth, this change of location has developed harmful 

 tendencies, that is. an insect or a disease which may have been 

 harmless in a certain locality may, by change of location, 

 develop into a serious pest. 



Fungicides are materials which are used to destroy fungi, 

 or else as a preventative. Probably the most common fungi- 

 cide is Bordeaux mixture. The fungicides are almost always 

 used as preventatives rather than to destroy the disease after 

 it is once started. In the case of most fungous diseases, 

 while they may be checked by a fungicide, they are not eradi- 

 cated. Take the case of the apple scab, by keeping a tree 

 sprayed thoroughly all the season, the scab will not be present, 

 but if the scab gains a foothold, while it may not spread much 

 it will not be removed. 



Insecticides are materials which are used to destroy insects. 

 There are two types of insects ; the eating insects, as the tent 

 caterpillar, and the sucking insects, as the aphis. The former 



