26o 



THE WAR AGAINST FUNGI AND INSECTS. 



tamarinds with drooping foliage, the mangoes, the dates 

 and alligator pears; the long rows of pineapples, embrac- 

 ing best varieties, one a specially imported species from 

 the Azores. The date-palm requires to be twenty years of 

 age before bearing, and the trees are staminate and pis- 

 tillate. Leaving fruits, of which we have given an im- 

 perfect list from memory, we visited the green peas, 

 well-grown lettuce, ripe tomatoes, half-grown squashes 

 and cucumbers ready for gathering. As we left the 

 vegetable garden we passed beds bordered with Acalphya 



?narg-tnata in all shades. The prettiest design for a. 

 flower-bed, of the many in these grounds, was a crescent 

 inclosing a star ; it may be common, for all we know, but 

 it is very effective. 



We have only hinted at what might furnish material 

 for a long article. Lake Worth, in the arts that give 

 grace, beauty and infinite variety to human existence, 

 has been preparing herself for the greatness of her inevi- 

 table destiny as a natural sanitarium. 



Florida. Emily Harris Sherman. 



THE WAR AGAINST 



^ LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT SPl 



^^^^jfc^PRAYING must be done to insure success 

 ^^^^^^^i in fruit growing, and to some extent 

 ^^M^^^^ in vegetable culture. "To spray or 

 •^^^^^^La not to spray " is no longer the question, 

 /^^^S^^^K^V since on this point all the authorities 

 f C^^g^^^O I now agree. "Let us spray!" is the 

 \^^^^^^^^^jJ exhortation of progressive growers 

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^ everywhere. Neither is there any 

 ^^^>o X-<:=^ remaining question or doubt about the 

 proper time when the operation should be performed. 

 Everybody now knows, or has been told time and 

 again, that spraying for fungi must begin early. Grape- 

 vines should be thoroughly and profusely sprayed — al- 

 most soaked — with a simple strong solution of sulphate 

 of iron or copper even before the buds burst; and spray- 

 ing with the ordinary mixture should follow when the 

 first leaves appear, and be repeated every few weeks 

 in the first half of the season. Fruit-trees, to be pro- 

 tected against the attacks of scab and other diseases, 

 should also receive their first spraying on the first ap- 

 pearance of their leaves, and succeeding ones at reason- 

 able intervals, according to season and danger of attack. 

 The proper time to spray for codling-moth is immediately 

 after the blossoms have fallen. 



The great problem, however, which confronts the fruit 

 and vegetable grower is the question of what spraying 

 mixtures to select, and how to procure and prepare them. 

 The whole matter of spraying and spraying mixtures is 

 a new science yet in a state of evolution, and the teach- 

 ings and doctrines are subject to constant and perhaps 

 radical changes. Nothing is yet definitely settled ; all is 

 uncertainty. The mixtures that are accepted as "best" 

 to-day may be discarded to-morrow, and certainly will 

 be replaced by better ones in the near future. The ad- 

 vice which we give now is intended only for the present. 

 To write books on spraying for permanent use would be 

 a thankless task. 



The tendency in the evolution of spraying mixtures is 

 in the direction of greater dilution, therefore of reducing 

 the expense and lessening the dangers and inconven- 

 iences of the treatment. 



The uncertainties in regard to what mixtures should 

 be recommended for general use render the following — 



FUNGI AND INSECTS. 



MAYING AND SPR A YING- M I .\TU RE S. 



from the chief of the Division of Vegetable Pathology 

 Department of Agriculture — of special interest : 



1. "What are the latest formulas for preparing the 

 Bordeaux mixture and ammoniacal solution of copper 

 carbonate ?" 



We shall recommend for the coming season the fol- 

 lowing : 



Bordeaux mixture. — Copper sulphate 6 lbs., fresh 

 lime 4 lbs., water 45 gallons. Place the copper in a 

 barrel holding 45 gallons and add 10 or 12 gallons of 

 water. Stir until all the copper is dissolved. Slak^ the 

 lime in a suitable vessel. When completely slaked add 

 enough water to make a thick whitewash. Pour the 

 latter into the barrel containing the copper solution, 

 using a gunny-bag as a strainer. Add sufficient water 

 to fill the barrel, stir, and the mixture is ready for use. 



Ammoniacal solution of copper carbonate. — Place 

 5 ounces of copper carbonate in a water-pail and add 

 enough water to make a thick paste. Then pour in three 

 pints of strong ammonia, and stir until all the copper is 

 dissolved. If the copper does not readily dissolve add 

 more ammonia. When the solution becomes perfectly 

 clear dilute to 45 gallons. 



2. " What combination mixtures (insecticides and fun- 

 gicides) are best and safest ?" 



A combination of London purple or Paris green with 

 Bordeaux mixture is the only one we have tested suf- 

 ficiently to warrant recommendation. We ought also, 

 before unqualifiedly recommending this, to investigate 

 by analyses the matter of its adherence to the fruit after 

 harvest. 



3. "Is there any way to dispense with the troublesome 

 Bordeaux mixture by using others, especially the carbon- 

 ate of copper solution, more freely and frequently?" 



By using Bordeaux mixture for the first two or three 

 sprayings, then following with the ammoniacal solution, 

 any trouble that might result from spotting will be avoided. 

 All things considered, Bordeaux mixture is unquestion- 

 ably the best fungicide we have. Used intelligently, it 

 is safe, cheap and perfectly harmless. Very few people 

 take the trouble to make the mixture properly, and as 

 a result they have trouble in getting it through the nozzle. 

 This may be avoided by a little care. 



