104 THE SUBURBANITE'S HANDBOOK 



smothered with moss. Such trees cannot possibly grow or bear well. 

 It is essential that their bark be carefully scraped and that in 

 December or January they be thoroughly sprayed with formula I. 

 1 cannot too strongly recommend an annual spraying, as it arrests 

 all mossy growth and destroys all scales, besides ridding the trees of 

 insects which hibernate or lay their eggs in crevices or under the 

 edges of the bark. 



PLUM AND DAMSON DISEASES. 



These are very liable to attacks from GREEN FLY in an aggra- 

 vated form and will need one or two sprayings of formula A. They 

 are probably more subject to scale than any other fruit tree, and 

 must be sprayed in winter with formula 1, as shown in preceding 

 paragraph. 



Red Spider In both dry seasons the under surfaces of plum 

 leaves are liable to attacks by myriads of these, who suck the sap 

 and choke the leaf pores with their fine webs. A spraying or two 

 of formula A, to which has been added one pound of flowers of sul- 

 phur (boiled), will materially assist in eradicating these mites. 



Wasps rPlums are probably more than any other outdoor fruit 

 liable to the depredations of wasps. Various wasp poisons are 

 offered, but there is always a certain amount of danger in poisoning 

 the fruit. By far the best method is to trace them to their nest at 

 night. This is easily done by closing up their entrance hole with a 

 soft rag, which has been saturated in a solution made of dissolving 



ounces of cyanide of potassium (poison) in 1% pints of water. 



PEACH AND NECTARINE DISEASES. 



Blister and Fly Curl These are erroneously attributed by many 

 to the work of Green Fly, whereas they are in reality caused by a 

 fungoid disease (Exorcus Deformans), which attacks the foliage 

 after a spell of cold winds. The damaged leaves should be picked 

 off and burned and the tree kept clean of flies by spraying of formula 

 A. The fungoid itself is difficult to dislodge and will require at 

 least two sprayings of Bordeaux Mixture (formula F) to cope with 

 its ravages. The first should be applied just before the buds begin 

 to swell and followed by a second and weaker spraying as soon as 

 the flowers have fallen. 



