IN OUR ORCHARDS 185 



peaches, lime must be added to prevent damage to 

 the trees. 



The chief difficulties that we have in the apple 

 orchard are with codling moth and trypeta fly; for 

 the former we spray with arsenites, but, alas, for the 

 latter we have no remedy but to keep the orchard 

 open to sun and air. Sheep pastures are almost im- 

 mune from this pest. The apple aphis or louse is 

 an occasional pest, covering whole states and almost 

 beyond our power of control. The best remedy is 

 to encourage the white- faced hornets (the paper 

 builders) who devour millions of the insects. 



At all times, but especially when the orchard is in- 

 fested with lice, there is great danger of too many 

 blossoms setting fruit. The result will be clusters 

 or clumps of small and unsalable apples. The 

 remedy is to go over the trees, thinning out the 

 smaller fruit, and then go over again, until at least 

 three-fourths of the stock is removed. The .result 

 will be large, fine apples, where your neighbors have 

 none worth the picking. Very few have patience to 

 practice this art in apple growing, and as a conse- 

 quence they will occasionally lose their whole crop. 

 The thinning is done with a wire crook attached to 

 the end of a short pole. 



Borers are of several kinds and infest apples, 

 peaches, quinces, and sometimes plums. They work 

 generally at the base of the tree and just at the edge 

 of the soil. The simple remedy is to cut them out 



