BETTER FRUIT 



Page 43 



a spray ior I he \-arious kinds of plant- 

 lice. For this purpose it may be used 

 as a substitute for kerosene emulsion or 

 whale-oil soap with good results, par- 

 ticularly in, the dry summer months. It 

 can also be used as a summer spray for 

 San Jose scale, but we do not advise 

 such use, since summer sprays for this 

 pest are less efficient than the winter 

 spray of lime and sulphur. The resin 

 wash may be made as follows: 



(9) Resin 20 pounds 



Concentrated lye 4 pounds 



Fish oil 2'/2. pints 



Water 100 gallons 



Place the resin, lye and oil in a kettle 

 with sufficient water to cover them to a 

 depth of three or four inches. Boil about 

 two hours, making occasional additions 

 of water, or until the compound resem- 

 bles very strong black coffee. Dilute to 

 one-third the final bulk with hot water, 

 or with cold water added slowly over the 

 fire, making a stock mixture, which must 

 be diluted to the full amount of 100 gal- 

 lons when ready for use. 



Carbolic acid emulsion is used to 

 destroy the eggs and the young rnag- 

 gots which infest radishes, onions and 

 similar garden crops; and occasionally 

 for other insects: 



(10) Crude carbolic acid . . .1 pint 



Hard soap 1 pound 



Water ,. . .1 gallon 



Dissolve the soap in boiling water; 

 add the acid and churn as for kerosene 

 emulsion. Use one part of emulsion to 

 thirty parts water. 



The tobacco waste from cigar factories 

 is of considerable value as an insecticide. 

 In greenhouses, it may be used to 

 destroy plant-lice by simply spreading 

 the waste two or three inches deep over 

 the pipes under the benches, or by burn- 

 ing about one-half pound of moist waste 

 to each 500 square feet of glass. Worked 

 into the soil about young apple trees in 

 the orchard or nursery, it is one of the 

 best remedies for the root form of 



TWO THOUSAND members is the 

 goal of the membership committee 

 of the Washington Horticultural Asso- 

 ciation, of which C. L. Whitney of Walla 

 Walla, is a member. He states that before 

 the Clarkston convention, a year hence, 

 the membership will be doubled; and to 

 make good he will double that of the 

 Walla Walla Valley. 



There were, previous to the meeting 

 of the convention adjourned this week, 

 about 600 members, but this number was 

 raised to the ten century mark before 

 the close of the week. With this as a 

 starter, the committee hopes to add 1,000 

 more names before January 1, 1913. 



Fruit growers of Oregon and Idaho 

 will not be barred from membership, 

 although the organization is primarily 

 for the State of Washington. As the 

 next meeting is just across the river 

 from Lewiston, it is believed there will 

 be many orchardists from that section of 

 Idaho who will join. 



"Membership is well worth while," 

 said Mr. Whitney yesterday. "For to 

 every member will be given the printed 

 proceedings of the convention at Pros- 

 scr, and this book will contain every 



woolly-aphis. A strong decoction, made 

 by a prolonged steeping of a quantity 

 of stems in enough water to cover them 

 and diluting the liquid to the color of 

 strong tea, is often used as a spray for 

 plant-lice. A still better method is as 

 follows: 



(11) Hard soap (preferably whale-oil). 1 pound 



Water 8 to 10 gallons 



Strong tobacco decoction 1 gallon 



Dissolve the soap in boiling water, add 

 the tobacco decoction and dilute to eight 

 to ten gallons. 



The various tobacco soaps and other 

 tobacco preparations are supplied by the 

 trade both for greenhouse and orchard 

 use. In fact the most satisfactory spray 

 known for destroying orchard plant- 

 lice is the Black Leaf spray, which is 

 supplied by the Kentucky Tobacco Co., 

 Louisville, Kentucky. It dilutes readily 

 with water, and is efficient when used in 

 the proportion of one gallon of Black 

 Leaf to 60 to 75 gallons of water. 



Fresh pyrethrum powder is a valuable 

 remedy for flies, mosquitoes, roaches, 

 ants, fleas and other household pests. 

 It is destructive to insects, but not poi- 

 sonous to the higher animals, or to man. 

 It should be kept in an air-tight recep- 

 tacle. The dry powder may be dusted 

 over the floors, or in the hair of dogs 

 infested with fleas, or about their sleep- 

 ing quarters, or in other places where 

 obnoxious insects congregate. It may 

 also be used as a spray in conservatories 

 or on a few plants in the garden, in the 

 following proportion: 



(12) Pyrethrum 1 ounce 



Water 2 gallons 



It is also Stated that the flies and 

 mosquitoes in a room may be destroyed 

 by burning a little pyrethrum powder 

 upon some live coals. 



Bisulphide of carbon (13) is a colorless 

 liquid with a very disagreeable odor. It 

 is very volatile, and its fumes are poison- 

 ous to animal and plant life. When 



speech, every word of discussion and 

 every remark of the entire convention. 

 Tluere will be between its covers, there- 

 fore, nearly everything that is of interest 

 to a fruit grower in the Northwest. 



"Lectures on spraying, pruning, plant- 

 ing, picking, packing, shipping, selling, 

 every phase of horticulture, will be found 

 in the book, and it is given to every per- 

 son who pays the one dollar membership 

 fee. The book is worth more than this 

 amount, by far, for it is an excellent 

 dictionary of information to any fruit 

 grower, and contains the opinions and 

 experiences of the best orchardists of the 

 state." 



❖ <S> 



Editor Better Fruit: 



No doubt many subscribers are anxious to secure 

 some good publication on apple and fruit culture, 

 and for their benefit I would like to explain how to 

 obtain the best possible book. Having become a 

 subscriber with the first issue, I of course have all 

 the numbers of "Better Fruit," and have them 

 bound with about eighteen numbers to a book. I 

 have the binder put an index in front of the book 

 and each page renumbered, and by simply glancing 

 at the index can locate very quickly any article I 

 wish on any subject. All the articles being written 

 by practical and experienced fruit growers, makes 

 such a book, in my opinion, much more valuable 

 than can be bought in any book store. — G. A. 

 Cooper, Portland, Oregon. 



mixed with air in the pi'opcr proportion 

 they are also very explosive. As an 

 insecticide it is valuable mainly as a 

 remedy for subterranean insects, borers, 

 or insects infesting stored grains, seeds, 

 etc., and for fumigating buildings which 

 are infested with noxious insects. It is 

 also used extensively for destroying 

 various burrowing animals whose bur- 

 rows incline downward into the earth. 

 For this purpose pour two or three 

 ounces of the liquid upon a ball or rags, 

 or other absorbant; place this well down 

 into the burrow and close the opening. 

 Thus used it is an effective remedy for 

 "digger squirrels" and "prairie dogs," 

 but is not efYective against moles and 

 pocket gophers, which construct long 

 horizontal burrows. Troublesome ants' 

 nests may be destroyed by making a hole 

 in the center of each nest and pouring 

 into it two or three ounces of the liquid, 

 after which the hole should be tightly 

 closed. For destroying the' root form 

 of woolly-aphis of the apple it is com- 

 mon to make several holes, each six to 

 twelve inches deep, about the tree and 

 pour one or two ounces of the liquid into 

 each hole, which should be immediately 

 closed. 



Borers in the roots of peach or prune 

 trees may be destroyed by simply pour- 

 ing from one to three ounces of the 

 liquid, according to the size of the tree, 

 about the base of the tree. If the soil 

 is wet or compact it is best first to exca- 

 vate a shallow trough about the tree and 

 fill this with loose soil before applying 

 the chemical. 



For fumigating grains, seeds, store- 

 houses and other buildings, including 

 houses, for the destruction of insects, 

 one pint of the liquid is used for each 

 ton of grain or 1,000 cubic feet of space. 

 The building, bin or other receptacle 

 should be tightly closed, and kept closed 

 24 to 36 hours. During this time no per- 

 son should attempt to enter the build- 

 ing, nor should any light be allowed 

 inside until it has been thoroughly ven- 

 tilated, since the fumes are both poison- 

 ous and explosive. 



This is an extremely poisonous gas, 

 which is used in this state principally to 

 fumigate nursery stock. In California it 

 is used to fumigate citrus trees which 

 are infested with scale insects. It has 

 also been used in the East to fumi- 

 gate scale-infested deciduous fruit trees. 

 Although very efficient, the process is so 

 much more expensive than spraying that 

 I do not recommend its use in this state. 



Many nurseries now have especially 

 prepared houses, or fumigatoriums, in 

 which to fumigate infested stock. For 

 dormant stock the chemicals are used in 

 the following proportions for each 100 

 cubic feet of space inclosed: 



(14) Cyanide of potassium (9S%)....1 ounce 



Sulphtiric acid 1 ounce 



Water 2 ounces 



Place the water in an earthenware or 

 wooden receptacle, add the acid and 

 when all is ready drop in the cyanide of 

 potassium, close the door, and keep it 

 closed for at least forty minutes. Do not 

 attempt to enter the house until it has 

 been thoroughly ventilated. 



Greenhouses may be fumigated to 

 destroy plant-lice, mealy-bugs, slugs, 



TWO THOUSAND MORE MEMBERS ARE WANTED 



