132 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



hit by the spray. On the other hand, multiplication is so rapid that a 

 few remaining individuals can quickly reinfest the tree. For this reason 

 it is unreasonable to expect any one spraying to control aphids for the 

 whole summer, unless the application happens to be so happily timed as 

 to reduce the numbers of the insects to a point where some natural 

 enemy or condition, already struggling with the pest, can conquer them. 

 Natural enemies of the aphids usually get the upper hand in time to 

 prevent very great damage from these pests, but a few trees may suffer 

 greatly from attacks of plant lice, often the same ones year after year. 

 In such cases treatment is advisable, and sprays should be applied when- 

 ever conditions require. 



In spraying for aphids it is necessary to use large quantities of the 

 wash, forcefully applied, from all directions, in order to insure contact 

 with the bodies. For this reason the spray material must not only be a 

 good insecticide, but also free from foliage injuring properties. The 

 best aphis sprays that have come to hand are the nicotine and tobacco 

 washes. Nicotine is effective against aphids when used in dilutions as 

 great as fifty hundredths of 1 per cent, and is not known to injure 

 foliage even at much greater strengths. 



Tobacco decoctions containing the required amount of nicotine can be 

 prepared from refuse stems, dust, etc.. and a wash strong enough for 

 aphids is obtained by steeping a pound of such material in a gallon of 

 hot water for several hours, then diluting with an equal quantity of 

 water after straining. The addition of some soap will much increase 

 the efficiency of the spray, as it gives better contact and helps to retain 

 the nicotine. A pound of soap (whale-oil or other) to 20 gallons makes 

 a good mixture. 



Spraying is at present the main reliance in the control of apple pests, 

 but there are cultural methods and ways of handling the fruit which 

 may add materially to the total results. Thorough thinning of the 

 young apples makes protection by spraying much easier as the points 

 of contact, which afford protection to the worms, are not so numerous. 

 The complete and immediate removal of the fruit when picked is also 

 a good practice for most of the wintering-over generation worms are 

 still in the apples. This is especially true if the picking is done before 

 the middle of October. Often the good fruit is quickly removed, but 

 the culls and windfalls are allowed to remain and rot on the ground. 

 This is a bad practice and may be the means of harboring more than 

 one pest. This cull fruit is now becoming valuable for drying and 

 canning purposes, so there is a greater disposition to make a thorough 

 clean up with consequent improvement in conditions. 



In closing this paper I feel that much of importance has been left 

 unsaid. There are many pests of the apple which have not been men- 

 tioned. Fortunately, a number of these are not present in our orchards, 

 and we are trusting in an efficient quarantine service to keep them out. 

 In the mean time knowledge of methods of control both by artificial 

 means and the assistance of natural agencies is making rapid progress. 

 What has already been done gives us confidence in our ability to cope 

 with most, if not all, contingencies and assures the future of the 

 industry. (Applause.) 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. Colonel Irish will now speak on the sub- 

 ject, "After Fruit Production, What?" (Applause/ 



