6 7 8 



Gardening for Amateurs 



produced may be carried for long distances ; 

 the dust which rises from dry mould, or that 

 which is deposited by a mushroom left on 

 a sheet of paper for a day or two, consists of 

 countless numbers of these spores. Under 



C2 



Some Pests of the Apple. 



A1 and A2t Mussel Scale, actual size and enlarged : B1 and 82. Apple Blossom Weevil and its 

 grub ; C1 and C2. Apple Sucker and larva : D1 and D2 Small Ermine Moth and grub. 



suitable conditions these spores throw out a 

 fine thread, which anchors them to the host. 

 They then begin to grow and increase, so 

 forming new centres of attack. Some fungi 

 produce a perfect network of threads, the 

 mycelium, on the surface of the subject 

 they attack ; others penetrate the tissues 

 and only throw up the spore-bearing cases 

 about the surface. The former, like rose 

 mildew, are comparatively easy to treat 

 with fungicides, but the latter are obviously 

 more difficult to eradicate. The names 

 Mildew, or Meal-dew, and Rust denote the 

 characteristic appearance of these fungi ; 

 others appear like grey or coloured moulds, 

 spreading over leaves and branches. 



Fungi contain no green colouring matter 

 or chlorophyll ; and this, to the scientist, 

 denotes that they must prey on some green 

 plant for their nutritive food supplies. That 

 is why the gardener considers them as 

 enemies ; they attack his plants, rob them, 

 steal nourishment from them, and perhaps 

 kill them. All the diseased tissues should, 

 therefore, be carefully burned or thrust into 



slaking lime, in case the spores carry infec- 

 tion to other vegetation ; and fungicides 

 ought to be made use of whenever the 

 parasites are doing any harm. 



The enemies of horticultural progress 

 are many ; 

 our plants, 

 flowers, and 

 fruits may be 

 attacked by 

 insects and 

 fungi, and in 

 this brief 

 chapter we 

 will enumer- 

 ate those 

 most hurtful 

 and most 

 widely dis- 

 tributed. 



FRUIT TREE 

 PESTS 



Apple. 



A pples and 

 other fruit 

 trees are pe- 

 culiarly sub- 

 ject to attack at all times of the year. 

 Various moths and their larvae do a great 

 deal of damage ; the Winter Moth, so 

 called because it is on the wing at that 

 season, is one of the worst. Eggs are 

 laid on the trees during winter ; these 

 hatch out in spring, and the larvae feed on 

 the buds and young growths. Once fully 

 grown, they lower themselves to the ground 

 by threads and pupate in the soil, emerg- 

 ing as moths at the end of the year. The 

 females are unable to fly, hence chill Novem- 

 ber finds them creeping up the trunk to 

 deposit their eggs on the shoots. Bands 

 covered with grease are tied round the tree 

 to prevent their getting up ; a piece of sack- 

 cloth tied tightly and well smeared occa- 

 sionally with cart grease, or some of the 

 proprietary greases advertised for the pur- 

 pose, acts like a charm ; they should be 

 examined now and again, especially below 

 the cloth. The larvae of the Apple Sucker, 

 tiny grubs not unlike Aphides or plant 

 flies, attack the leaf and flower-buds, and 

 in some orchards do considerable damage. 



