THE APPLE. 



433 



Balcarras, Fifeshire, and quoted by Dr Lindley 

 in " Theory of Horticulture," to this effect : 

 " He found that in a cankered orchard the roots 

 of the trees had entered the earth to the depth 

 of 3 feet ; and he also ascertained that, during 

 the summer months, the average heat of the 

 soil at 6 inches below the surface was 61° ; at 

 9 inches, 57°; at 18 inches, 50°; and at 3 feet, 

 44°. He took measures to confine the roots to 

 the soil near the surface, and the consequence 

 was the disappearance of canker and ripen- 

 ing of the fruit." It may be remarked at the 

 same time that too deeply-planted trees, or 

 such as send their roots to too great a depth, 

 are late in their foliation, and seldom bring 

 their fruit to full perfection. 



Some varieties are more subject to the attacks 

 of canker than others ; and even the same 

 sorts, when planted in different soils, are 

 attacked in one while they escape in others. 

 The Hawthornden apple, for example, is seldom 

 troubled with canker in a strong loamy soil, 

 while in a light sandy one it suffers exceedingly. 

 The larva of Semasia Wceberana has been ac- 

 cused of laying the foundation of canker in full- 

 grown apple trees. 



Parasitic fungi of the mildew tribe frequently 

 in dry seasons attack the foliage ; but as it ap- 

 pears now to be an established fact that the 

 application of sulphur in a dry powdery state, 

 thrown upon the trees by any of the ingeniously- 



Fig. 173. 



Germany than to America, from which country 

 it has been erroneously supposed to have reach- 

 ed lis. The American pomologists repudiate 

 its nativity to their country, and assert that 



Fig. 174. 



SULPHURATOR. 



contrived sulphurating machines — fig. 173, for 

 example— affords a complete remedy, their ef- 

 fects are less to be dreaded. 



The evaporating effects of long-continued 

 easterly winds during spring are exceedingly 

 injurious to the young expanding leaves of the 

 apple ; frequent syringing, to keep up the neces- 

 sary humidity, has been resorted to with good 

 effect ; as has also protecting the opening buds 

 by covering them with semi-transparent can- 

 vass made in form of balloons, enclosing the 

 whole tree, and secured round the stem to pre- 

 vent the wind tearing them to pieces. The 

 dried haulm of asparagus, the dried fronds of 

 fern, or similar dry and light material, tied to 

 the branches in small handfuls, break the force 

 of the wind, ward off late spring-frosts, and 

 tend greatly to the preservation of the opening 

 leaves and expanding blossom. 



Insects injurious to the apple. — Of these the 

 American blight, woolly aphis, or apple bug 

 (Aphis lanigera Linn., the Eriosoma mali of 

 Leach, E. lanigera of others), fig. 174, is amongst 

 the most serious. This insect appears to be in- 

 digenous rather to France and the north of 



§ 



AMERICAN BLIGHT INSECT. 



Winged male and wingless female. 



it was imported there along with trees from 

 Europe. This insect frequently perforates 

 the stem and branches of the apple, and causes 

 those excrescences which are often seen on 

 branches even of considerable age and size. 

 Externally its existence is readily discovered 

 by the appearance of a fine white down in the 

 crevices of the older branches, and in some 

 nurseries abounding on the wood of one or two 

 years' growth, within which downy covering 

 |lj a great number of minute woolly insects will 

 be found, yielding, when bruised, a reddish 

 matter somewhat similar to cochineal, which is 

 the produce of another species of the same 

 family. During summer this pest may be easily 

 got rid of by washing the parts affected with a 

 solution of sulphuric acid, in the proportions 

 of | oz. by measure to 1\ oz. of water, applying 

 the liquid with a piece of sponge tied to a piece 

 of stick, or by a small soft painter's brush. The 

 first rain that follows will wash the mixture 

 into the most minute crevice of the bark or 

 part affected. In winter these insects quit the 

 trees and bury themselves underground to feed 

 on the roots — thus never ceasing their attacks 

 until the tree is completely killed, which will 

 certainly be the result if they are not subdued. 

 The trees infected should be taken up during 

 winter, their roots washed clean with water, and 

 left exposed for a day or two to the action of 

 cold before replanting ; and at that operation a 

 new station should if possible be allotted to the 

 tree, or the soil in which it formerly grew com- 

 pletely removed, and fresh soil substituted. 

 When the trees are so large as to render their 

 lifting difficult, the soil should be removed 

 from them, and that about the roots well satu- 

 rated with ammoniacal liquor. If the period of 



