Mat, 1909 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



225 



those forms which draw their nourishment 

 from the underlying plant tissues and are, 

 therefore, not injured by inert poisons 

 lying on the leaf surface. 



Kerosene emulsion is one of the most 

 widely employed of these. It may be pre- 

 pared by dissolving one-half pound of hard 

 soap in a gallon of boiling water and adding 

 thereto 2 gallons of kerosene. Mix vigor- 

 ously by passing it through a spray pump 

 for five to ten minutes. This preparation 

 may be diluted four to twenty-five times 

 before applying. Better results can prob- 

 ably be obtained in sections where lime or 

 hard water occurs, by using 1 gallon of sour 

 milk in place of the soap. A very satis- 

 factory emulsion is made by taking 1 part 

 of this stock mixture to 9 of water. The 

 strong emulsion is employed mostly for 

 scale insects, while the weaker dilutions 

 may be used against such insects as plant 

 lice, cabbage worms, currant worms, and 

 other forms having soft bodies. Some 

 very good oil emulsions, in a form ready for 

 use, have been placed on the market under 

 various trade names. 



Whale oil soap solution can be employed in 

 much the same manner as kerosene emul- 

 sion. The maximum strength for summer 

 use on foliage is one pound to 4 gallons 

 of water. An extremely satisfactory dilu- 

 tion for many of the more common pests is 

 1 pound to 6 or 7 gallons of water. 



Ivory soap used at the rate of a five-cent 

 cake to 8 gallons of water is a very con- 

 venient solution and has been employed 

 with great success in controlling scale in- 

 sects, plant lice, etc., on house plants. 



White hellebore (fresh) used at the rate 

 of 1 ounce to 3 gallons of water is a valuable 

 internal poison as well as an efficient con- 

 tact insecticide. It may, therefore, be 

 employed against both classes of insects, 

 and is frequently used where the application 

 of an arsenical poison is inadvisable. 



Pyrethrum or insect powder (fresh) may 

 be used at the rate of 1 ounce to 3 gallons 

 of water. It may be applied dry, diluted 

 with flour, and should then be mixed 

 several hours before it is used. It is a 

 contact insecticide only. 



Tobacco dust and tobacco water are other 

 valuable insecticides. The dry dust has 

 been used most successfully in destroying 

 the woolly aphis infesting the roots of apple 

 trees. Tobacco water may be prepared 

 by steeping tobacco stems in hot water for 

 several hours and diluting the liquid from 

 three to five times. One pound of the 

 stems should produce 2 gallons of excellent 

 tobacco water. 



Lime-sulphur wash is one of the cheapest 

 and most effective insecticides as well as 

 an exceedingly valuable fungicide. It may 

 be prepared by putting a few pails of water 

 in an iron kettle over a fire, bringing the 

 same nearly to a boil and adding 20 pounds 

 of lime, followed at once by 15 pounds of 

 fine sulphur flour or ground brimstone. 

 The lime will cause a violent boiling. The 

 mixture should be stirred thoroughly and 

 kept stirred to prevent the material from 

 caking on the bottom of the kettle. This 



active boiling should be continued at least 

 thirty minutes or until we have a deep 

 brick-red color in the clear liquid. Strain 

 this mixture through a fine wire sieve, 

 dilute to 50 gallons, and apply at once, but 

 only to dormant trees. 



An improved lime-sulphur wash has 

 been recently brought to attention by 

 Professor Cordley. It is prepared by slak- 

 ing 60 pounds of lime in a cooking vessel 

 and stirring in 125 pounds of sulphur 

 previously made into a paste. Then add 

 enough water to .make about 45 gallons 

 and boil rapidly for one or two hours. The 

 mixture is allowed to stand, and only the 

 clear brownish liquid drawn off. This 

 latter is diluted to 50 gallons. It may be 

 kept an indefinite period and when used 

 should be diluted at the rate of 1 gallon to 

 9 of water, and adding thereto 1 to i\ 

 pounds of lime. 



There are- now on the market some 

 excellent commercial lime-sulphur washes 

 which only require dilution to be ready for 

 application. This material is particularly 

 serviceable in controlling certain scale in- 

 sects, pear psylla, and some fungous dis- 

 eases. It is a specific for peach-leaf curl. 



Hydrocyanic acid gas fumigation is ex- 

 tensively employed in the South and West 

 for the control of scale j insects and white 

 fly on citrus trees. This work can be 

 safely done only by j experienced men 

 possessing a somewhat' expensive outfit. 

 The amateur is advised to be extremely 

 careful in undertaking any such operations. 



Soft soap wash is an excellent protective 

 against borers. It is made by thinning 



1 gallon of soft soap with an equal amount 

 of hot water, then stirring in 1 pint of crude 

 carbolic acid or ^ pint of the refined article; 

 allow it to set over night, then add 8 gallons 

 of water. This is applied to portions of . 

 trees liable to attack by* borers, for the 

 purpose of preventing the parent insects 

 from depositing eggs. 



II. Fungicides 



These are employed in all cases for the 

 purpose of keeping out disease spores. Do 

 not spray fruit trees and berry plants while 

 in bloom. The concentrated lime-sulphur 

 wash mentioned above is a valuable fungi- 

 cide, and there are indications that we may 

 soon have a dilute lime-sulphur wash which 

 can be employed with safety on more 

 hardy foliage at least. 



The standard fungicide at the present 

 time is the Bordeaux mixture, which may 

 be prepared by putting 6 pounds of copper 

 sulphate in a bag of coarse cloth and hanging 

 this in an earthen or wooden vessel con- 

 taining 4 to 6 gallons of water. Then 

 slake 4 pounds of quicklime and add 

 thereto 25 gallons of water. After the copper 

 sulphate is dissolved, dilute with 25 gallons 

 of water and mix the two by pouring the 

 solutions together in a third vessel; stir 

 and keep stirred while spraying. For 

 peaches and Japanese plums the amount 

 of copper sulphate should be reduced to 

 4 pounds, and some growers have used but 



2 pounds each of blue vitriol and lime to 



50 gallons of water with excellent results. 

 The weaker solutions should be employed 

 wherever the normal proves too strong. 

 A plain solution of copper sulphate, 1 pound 

 in 15 to 25 gallons of water, may be employed 

 before the buds break, the weaker solution 

 being used on peach and nectarine. Ready- 

 to-use Bordeaux can be had in cans. 



Ammoniacal copper carbonate may be 

 prepared by making a paste of 5 ounces of 

 copper carbonate with a little water and 

 dilute 3 pints of ammonia (26 degrees 

 Beaume) with 7 or 8 volumes of water. 

 Add the paste to the diluted ammonia and 

 stir till dissolved. Then add enough water 

 to make 45 gallons. Allow the mixture 

 to settle and use only the clear blue liquid. 

 This preparation loses strength on standing. 

 It may be used instead of Bordeaux mixture 

 in late spraying and thus avoid the risk of 

 injuring the appearance of the fruit. 



Potassium sulphide (liver of sulphur) is 

 used at the rate of \ to 1 ounce to a gallon 

 of water. This preparation loses its 

 strength on standing and should, therefore, 

 be used immediately. It is particularly 

 valuable for surface -mildews. 



Iron sulphate, a saturated solution, with 

 one part of commercial sulphuric acid to 

 every 100 parts of water, is valuable for' 

 grape anthracnose, the dormant vines being 

 treated "by means of sponges or brushes. ; 

 This solution should be prepared just 

 before using. 



Formalin. One pound (1 pint) to 30! 

 gallons of water is frequently used for the' 

 prevention of potato scab. Soak the seed' 

 in this solution for about two hours before 

 planting. 



Hints for this Month 



SPRAY fruit trees and berry bushes before 

 the buds swell with a combination of 

 Bordeaux mixture and an arsenate. Be pre- 

 pared to spray every day in the year. Spray 

 roses with whale oil soap before the leaves 

 start. 



Visit currant bushes every day and 

 use hellebore at the first sign of currant 

 worms. 



Spray roses with potassium sulphide. 



About May 20th give roses a second dose 

 of whale oil soap. 



Before the new hollyhock leaves unfold 

 spray them with ammoniacal carbonate 

 of copper (not unsightly, like Bordeaux), 

 and keep them covered the whole season. 



Get a small boy to bring you a string of 

 toads' eggs in a pail of water, and then 

 watch them develop. One toad will kill 

 insects which it would cost you $20 to 

 destroy by ordinary methods. Toads do 

 not cause warts. 



Cutworms begin to work. Plants will 

 collapse suddenly from being cut off aj 

 the surface of the ground. Dig up the 

 grubs, or buy "cabbage collars" to pro- 

 tect the plants against cutworms. 



Just as the petals fall from fruit trees and 

 berry bushes, spray again. Never spray 

 fruit trees while they are in bloom or you 

 will kill the bees and have less fruit. 



