REPORT OF THE APPLE AND PEAR CONFERENCE. 



61 



unless measures are taken to remove the cause by draining or 

 otherwise ameliorating the land, as the case may require, and so 

 induce a healthy, vigorous growth, thereby enabling the trees 

 to thrive, increase in thickness, and throw off the old bark. 



Discussion. 



Mr. Eoupell noticed that Mr. Fraser had omitted to men- 

 tion the Lackey moth, which was the parent of those nests of 

 brownish maggoty creatures called social caterpillars, which had 

 lately been one of the greatest possible plagues in his neighbour- 

 hood. He had spent three days picking these pests off his trees, 

 but his neighbours, who had not done the same, had no leaves 

 left at all on their trees, and consequently no fruit. These 

 creatures could only be removed by hand picking. As to spar- 

 rows, they were very abundant near him, but they never did the 

 least harm, because poultry yards were so numerous, and he never 

 knew a sparrow touch fruit as long as there was corn to be got or 

 an old bone to be picked. He should like to caution gardeners 

 against planting potatoes too near to apples, as he had a very 

 strong fancy that the potato communicated fungoid diseases to 

 fruit. 



Mr. Clark said that with the Lackey moth grub he had 

 found it an excellent plan to put a little powder into a gun and 

 fire it at the colonies of social caterpillars. The shock seems 

 to alarm them, and they at once throw themselves on to the 

 ground, when they can be easily crushed with the foot. \Yith 

 regard to the gooseberry caterpillar, he had seen whole gardens 

 absolutely cleared of every leaf they possessed, and he was con- 

 fident that the best remedy was to get up early, while the dew 

 was yet on the leaves, and dash a mixture of soot and lime both 

 over and under the leaves. This he had always found most 

 effective. 



Mr. Pearson thought the shooting at the caterpillars would 

 be a very long business. He found that both with the socialists 

 and the gooseberry grubs one good syringing with soft soap and 

 quassia got rid of them all. He did not think that the cracking 

 of apples and pears was caused by fungoid growth, but by cold, 

 and hence a reason why the later varieties always suffered the 

 most. He imagined the cracks caused by cold formed convenient 

 resting places for fungus germs, where they could grow and 

 develop at leisure. 



Mr. K. Dean said he must prefer a very strong bill of 

 indictment against sparrows. He had fed them and given them 

 water, but they seemed to him thoroughly heathenish birds, quite 

 miaccustomed to do unto others as they were done by, for they 

 never lost any opportunity of attacking his fruit ; nor were they 

 even content with the fruit, for this year he had an Easter Beurre 



