340 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTIC ULTTJRAL SOCIETY. 



and other leaf-eating caterpillars, the grub of the codlin moth, and I have 

 found them successful against the weevil that eats out the buds of the 

 scions when trees have been grafted, only in this case it needs just 

 a little growth on the scion for the poison to coat. 



I have never sprayed for codling moth grub, but others have found lead 

 arsenate an excellent remedy providing the right time is chosen, just as 

 soon as the blossom has fallen, and for a week or two after. We have 

 never been greatly troubled with insects on the gooseberry bushes, and 

 have always been able to cope with any attack of caterpillars by the use 

 of hellebore powder applied by means of a Torpille machine when the 

 dew is on the trees. 



With regard to the black currant mite we have tried the lime and 

 sulphur remedy and have been to some extent successful, but we have 

 found it burnt the fruit rather badly sometimes. For nurserymen on 

 their young stock it is no doubt an excellent remedy, but rather dangerous 

 for fruit growers. Personally I think the remedy will be found in 

 spraying a greasy substance all over the trees in the spring, and so 

 catching the mites. 



I think this concludes all I have to say as to the various compositions 

 to employ ; but so far I have said nothing to you as to the time to use 

 them, and therein lies the crux of the whole question as well as its 

 difficulty. If when we wanted to spray it would always be calm and 

 always remain fine half the difficulties of spraying would be removed ; but 

 when for days during winter spraying the wind blows from the same 

 quarter with tempestuous fury, making it absolutely impossible to do 

 more than one side of the tree, one realizes the irony of the writers of 

 pamphlets of instructions who point out the necessity of wetting the 

 whole surface of the tree. Frequently last winter we had as much as two 

 to three acres of top trees sprayed on the east side before the wind 

 turned sufficiently for the west side to be done. 



Particularly is this the case where there are bush trees of any con- 

 siderable size underneath, it then being next to impossible with the very 

 strong caustic materials now used to spray up against the wind. Again 

 think of the annoyance to the fruit grower when, after a long day spent 

 in throwing pounds' worth of Paris green on to his trees, at evening 

 a heavy storm comes on and washes all, or nearly all, of the valuable 

 results of his labour off the trees. 



As I said before, there is also the difficulty that, when it is just the 

 proper time to spray for something for top fruit, it may be positively 

 dangerous to some crop beneath, whether bush fruit or other crop. So 

 what with climatic conditions and other causes, successful spraying is not 

 by any means the easiest job. If the proprietor or his sons can manage to 

 personally do the spraying work themselves, part of the battle is over ; but 

 where ordinary farm hands have to be trained in the use of the machines, 

 and the various quantities of chemicals to mix, it needs constant 

 vigilance on somebody's part to give it any chance of being successful 

 and not too exorbitantly dear. How annoying to come upon the spraying 

 gang standing idle watching one of their number pulling the pump to 

 pieces, perhaps a couple of hours' job from stop to start again ; or owing 



