88 "THE SUBURBANITE'S HANDBOOK 



membered that while the European system dates back a few cen- 

 turies, the Japanese goes back a millenium or more. 

 -,,:'.. The Japanese dwarfs, when compared with the European dwarf 

 potted trees, show a very distinctive difference in that the roots are 

 in large measure above the soil and exposed to the air. This is be- 

 cause in addition to their instructions for potting there is one manip- 

 ulation they carefully guard as a trade secret, and that is : Each year 

 when they repot the trees they plant the tree very slightly shallower 

 th.an it- was the year before, and although in young trees this is 

 hardly apparent, in the course of years it becomes emphasized and 

 gives the tree the appearance of growing on stilts. Among the fancy 

 forms of trained trees the Japanese gardener keeps in stock are * * The 

 Stork" .(a favorite fancy figure with them), "The Turtle," "The 

 Chicken," "The Booster," and "The Hen," "The Junk Full Rig- 

 ged,'' and offer customers to train trees to any design they may order. 

 Of course there is no practical advantage in these fancy forms except 

 fun and fancy .for the grower, and to enjoy that pleasure one had 

 better, exercise their own ingenuity to do that work for themselves. 



SPRAYING AND FRUIT PESTS. 



" This being intended as a hand-book for instruction of suburban- 

 ites who have- little or no practical experience in the details of or- 

 chard work ; it would be incomplete without some reference to this 

 very important detail. 

 . During the past few years the fruit pests have greatly increased 



-in number and variety and at the same time our knowledge about 

 them and the means of combating them has also increased. The 



c means at our disposal for this warfare, while efficient, must be used 

 %ith energy and intelligence. To this end we must acquaint our- 

 selves with' the nature and habits of these enemies and must there- 

 fore classify them. First we have two principal divisions. Insects 

 and fungi. The insect pests may be divided into those that feed by 

 biting the fruit and leaves and those that live by suction; the other 

 division is in the form of vegetable and bacterial enemies. The biting 

 insects are poisoned by arsenicals sprayed on the fruit, leaves and 

 l)ranehes. This spraying business is of the utmost importance, and 

 like some political parties voting, must be done "early and often." 



'' As the result of spraying is perfectly successful in exact proportion 

 to the care and thoroughness with which it is done, consequently it 

 will be both labor and money wasted if performed in a slipshod man- 



