Plant Sanitation, 



316 



[OCTOBBR, 1910. 



succumb. If, however, it is sprayed 

 before the spot has extended much, then 

 the Bordeaux Mixture kills the fungus 

 and the shoot recovers. This in itself 

 is a great advantage as it saves the buds 

 in the axils of the leaves above the 

 affected spots to produce leaves for tea. 

 The mixture on the leaves also prevents 

 the spores that fall on them from devel- 

 oping. 



As spore formation usually and infec- 

 tion invariably takes place on the under- 

 surf ace of the leaf, this is the side that 

 must be sprayed. That, accordingly, 

 makes spraying difficult as the tea 

 bushes are very dense. Spraying on tea 

 gardens situated as they are on steep 

 slopes of hill sides is an arduous task. 

 The chief difficulties in the way are due 

 to heavy rainfall and to the difficulty of 

 transporting water for preparing the 

 fungicide. During the time when blister 

 blight is spreading the heavy and fre- 

 quent showers wash off any liquid 

 sprayed on the leaves, and especially on 

 the high gardens about the mist-zone 

 where it is often continuously wet for 

 days together. The fungicide does not 

 always remain long enough on the leaves 

 to prevent incipient blisters from matur- 

 ing. It has no effect on new shoots that 

 develop after the application, and they 

 are just as ready to be infected and spray- 

 ing must be repeated for their benefit. 

 General spraying in the rains is impracti- 

 cable, but on heavy pruning, new exten- 

 sion and seed beds, where the area is 

 small and the blight might cause heavy 

 loss, the labour and expense of repeated 

 spraying would be well repaid by the 

 saving of the plauts- AtTukvar a small 

 block of heavy pruning became well 

 blighted in June and July. It was spray- 

 ed with Bordeaux Mixture five times, 

 and in September looked very well, 

 though it never became quite free from 

 blight ; a few blisters could be found 

 here and there. The bushes were all 

 healthy and had made good growth. 

 The Manager was well satisfied that the 

 result was worth the effort made. Spray- 

 ing in such cases, to do good must be 

 repeated; once only is not enough. Buds 

 that open after the bush has been spray- 

 ed are unprotected by the fungicide, and 

 are liable to fresh infection and have to 

 be covered with fungicide. 



Pruning. — It is on pruning that reli- 

 ance will have to be placed in combating 

 blister-blight during the cold weather. 

 For this one cold weather all bushes 

 should be pruned, in the ordinary way 

 back to the last one or two buds and the 

 lower, as well as the upper parts of the 

 bush, should receive attention. All prim- 

 ings, or at any rate all from affected areas, 



should be burned or buried and with 

 careful cultivation following, all the 

 fallen leaves and twigs will be turned in 

 and rendered harmless. Primings ought 

 by no means to be left on the ground 

 nor is it sufficient simply to turn them 

 in during cultivation, 



As it is possible and very probable 

 that unpruned tea carries over the 

 blight from the end of one season 

 to the beginuing of the next, it is 

 strongly to be recommended that this 

 cold weather no tea be left unpruned. 

 Heavy pruned tea suffers severely, and 

 whether the leaves are picked off or left 

 blistered on the bush an attack often 

 means disaster. As little as possible 

 heavy pruning should be done this 

 autumn, and when it must be done care 

 should be exercised in selecting a plot 

 that it is very near one that was badly 

 affected. It is necessary that every one 

 should adopt the measures, as one 

 neglected garden may infect a whole 

 neighbourhood. 



At the beginning of the season of 1910, 

 a careful look-out should be kept for the 

 first appearance of blister-blight and 

 whenever seen the blistered leaves 

 should be destroyed and the surrounding 

 bushes should be sprayed thoroughly 

 with Bordeaux mixture, and after a day 

 or two a man should be sent round to 

 pick any leaves with fresh blisters that 

 may have escaped treatment. Continue 

 the treatment till the early rains come. 



Recommendations for the Cold 

 Weather of 1909-1910. 



It would be desirable — 



To prune all bushes in the garden. 

 The pruners should open up the bushes 

 and remove all growth-leaf showing 

 traces of having been blistered, 



To leave no unpruned tea anywhere in 

 the garden and to do no top-pruning 

 (skiffing). 



To do heavy pruning with caution and 

 to restrict the area as far as possible. It 

 should be done comparatively early to 

 get some growth in spring before the 

 blight may appear. 



To burn prunings or to bury them iu 

 trenches under at least 1| foot of earth. 



To have a responsible assistant go care- 

 fully over every block to see that no 

 infected stems or leaves are left on the 

 bushes or exposed on the ground. 



To begin pruning in the cold weather 

 and to cultivate soon afterwards, in 

 order that any blighted leaves or twigs 

 on the ground may be forked in. 



