68o 



Gardening for Amateurs 



in a later paragraph. Paraffin emulsions 

 keep flies and moths away, but the amateur 

 with only a few trees should buy some 

 prepared substance in a good nurseryman's 

 depot, and use it as directed. 



Cherry. Cherries are infested by a 

 tiny fly called the Black Aphis. Soft soap 

 is a cure, but paraffin preparations and the 

 quassia spray are more certain. Small 

 pests, called Red Spiders, attack many wall 

 fruits in spring. The plants at that time 

 have not sufficient foliage to cover the 

 walls, and the spider delights to shelter in 

 the hot crevices. Sulphur is the best remedy 

 for this pest, difficult to get rid of ; dissolve 

 a little treacle or syrup in water, add some 

 fine sulphur, and stir well ; spray this on 

 the tree, and it will stick to the foliage. 

 Cyllin summer wash and Abol are also good. 

 Remember to spray from various direc- 

 tions so as to reach all parts. 



Plum. Plums are attacked by a Mildew, 

 for which the liver of sulphur solution may 

 be employed as a preventive remedy. Small 

 red grubs will be noticed on the fruits some- 

 times, causing them to fall before they are 

 ripe, and the Plum Fly, or Aphis, which 

 infests the young shoots and removes 

 nourishment from them, can be destroyed 

 by some insecticide or the paraffin emulsion. 



Currant. The Black Currant Mite which 

 causes Big Bud, is a pest for which no 

 real remedy has yet been found. The 

 microscopic mites live inside the buds, 

 and the irritation due to their presence 

 causes the swollen buds, which seldom break 

 into leaf. As they are hidden inside they 

 cannot be reached by insecticides. Hand- 

 picking and burning of the buds is often 

 practised, but bushes badly attacked may 

 be rooted up. The pests migrate to the 

 new buds in May and June, and this is the 

 only time they can be successfully treated. 

 The most effective substance to use is a 

 mixture of 2 parts quicklime and 1 part 

 sulphur ; this is showered over the bushes 

 on a damp morning, and if repeated weekly 

 does much to prevent the mites from 

 spreading. Insecticides may also be used 

 during these months, but they are not so 

 effective. 



Gooseberry. Never propagate from 

 an infested bush. Gooseberries suffer much 



from Caterpillars, and for these the arsenical 

 spray is the most effective. Dusting with 

 sulphur or mixtures of quicklime and sulphur, 

 or the use of some good fungicide like Bor- 

 deaux Mixture or liver of sulphur, will keep 

 in check most fungoid pests and that bad 

 one called Gooseberry Mildew. 



Raspberry. Tiny beetles or weevils 

 attack Raspberries and other bushes ; to 

 get rid of them, boards, slates, pieces of 

 paper or linoleum are covered with a 

 sticky substance like tar or treacle and the 

 branches vigorously shaken over these at 

 nightfall. The surface soil round all bushes 

 attacked should be removed in autumn and 

 sterilised or a fresh compost substituted. 

 Many of the pests hibernate in the soil 

 near the bush, and this gets rid of a large 

 number. 



Strawberry. Of late years Strawberries 

 have been badly attacked in some parts by 

 fungoid diseases. Strawberry Leaf Spot and 

 Strawberry Mildew, both easily recognised, 

 are the worst. Bordeaux Mixture is prac- 

 tically the only remedy. 



VEGETABLE PESTS 



Cabbage Tribe. Cabbage, Turnip, Cauli- 

 flower, and all members of that order, 

 including Wallflower, Shepherd's Purse, etc., 

 are liable to contract a fungoid disease 

 called Finger-and-toe, or Club Root. A 

 slight swelling at the root is the first indica- 

 tion of the disease, but soon the plant begins 

 to droop ; little progress is made, and if 

 the roots are examined swellings will be 

 found there of considerable size. This fungus 

 lives inside the tissues of the plant, and the 

 only remedy is to pull up infested plants 

 and dress the surrounding soil heavily with 

 lime. In lime soils the pest is unknown. 

 Rotation of cropping should be practised 

 when a root fungus like this makes its 

 appearance. Before transplanting steep the 

 roots of all Cabbages and the like in a puddle 

 made from equal parts of loam, soot, lime, 

 and sufficient water to make it into a paste. 



Cabbage. The Cabbage Fly deposits her 

 eggs on the stems ; the young grub eats its 

 way into the stem and causes swellings, which 

 may be mistaken for Club Root. Hand- 

 picking is advisable when transplanting. 

 Puddle the roots as advised above, and 



