48 



A lamp is often taken into a fruit plantation at night, when the 

 codling * and male winter and many other moths will fly to the light, 

 and may so be caught and destroyed. 



The trees are often shaken over a sheet placed under them, when 

 insects and larvae will fall into it, and be so destroyed. 



Grease banding is also a trap for the female winter moths, who 

 cannot fly, but walk or crawl. 



Spraying, however, is now the common and the best remedy for 

 insect and fungus pests. 



Clean cultivation, such as keeping the plantation free from weeds 

 and rubbish, does away a great deal with insect pests, although, not 

 wholly. 



Birds such as the lapwing or peewit, gulls, rooks, butcher-birds, 

 robins, thrushes, hedge sparrows, missel-thrushes, flycatchers, house 

 martins, swifts, tits, sand martins and kestrels are all birds that 

 live mainly or partly on insects. The peewit is the most useful, but 

 is gradually decreasing. 



All these birds should be encouraged — but not in too great numbers, 

 as they will, perhaps, then do damage— by the fruit farmer, as they 

 will do a great deal in keeping down insect pests. Also such insects 

 as lady-birds, carnivorous beetles, wasps, ants, earwigs, and the larvae 

 of the lacewing and hover flies, are all very useful, the first insect 

 especially, as it eats aphis on fruit trees. 



It is waste of time and money if the spra3nng is not thoroughly 

 done and every part of the tree wetted. 



After a heavy rain, the tree will probably have to be sprayed again, 

 but the rain is often beneficial, as it distributes the insecticide over 

 parts which otherwise might not have been wetted. 



Fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas is getting more common, 

 especially for cleaning young nursery stock before it is being sent 

 out. It is certain death to the insects, and it is mainly used for red 

 spider, scale, American blight, and mealy bug. 



For fumigating pot trees in houses, it is comparatively easy, 

 provided you have the machine for dropping the sodium cyanide 

 into the sulphuric acid and water, with which machine you do not 

 have to go into the house, but by puUing a string passed through the 

 keyhole the apparatus can be used, all ventilators and doors shut 

 meantime. 



Fumigating trees in a plantation is more difficult, as you Ijave to 

 move a tent about. 



The trees can be fumigated individually or a few together, according ' 

 to the size of the tree and tent, and the distance the trees are planted 

 apart. 



The chemicals used are sodium cyanide, sulphuric acid and 

 water. 



The proportions cannot be given, as they differ according to the 

 temperature, atmospheric moisture, nature and condition of the 

 * Codling moths do not go to light. F. J, C. 



