COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



211 



the soil exposes insects and their larvae to the keen eyes of birds, toads, 

 and suchlike, and the attack of such pests must naturally be greatly 

 reduced. On the other hand, with Grass a very large proportion of the 

 rainfall never reaches the roots of the fruit trees at all, and it would be 

 difficult to estimate how much plant food is absorbed by the roots of the 

 Grass ; the consequence is that the roots of the trees are driven down- 

 wards in search of food and moisture, and if they come in contact with 

 some unsuitable layer of soil— as they frequently do — canker follows, or 

 stunted unhealthy growth with correspondingly inferior crops. Grass 

 also affords a splendid harbour for insects and their larvae, which only 

 wait for a favourable opportunity to attack the trees in legions and play 

 havoc with the fruit and foliage. Many other arguments could be brought 

 forward in favour of cultivated ground, but enough has been stated to 

 show that Grass land is not the most economical for modern fruit 

 culture. 



Wasps. 



All fruit growers are only too well acquainted with the ravages of 

 wasps amongst fruit, the damage seldom ending with the wasp, as flies 

 and other insects follow and feed through the holes in the fruit made in 

 the first instance by the wasps, until little is left save the outside skin or 

 husk. There are many methods of keeping down the number of wasps, 

 all more or less unsatisfactory, and there is no doubt that the best means 

 of minimising their evil effects is to destroy all the nests. When the 

 wasp has visited the fruit, and secured all it requires, it always flies 

 in a straight line for its nest, and a sharp-eyed boy will quickly locate 

 all the nests in the neighbourhood by following this line of flight. 

 Having discovered the nests, it is a very simple matter to take some 

 cyanide of potassium and put a little — say half a teaspoonful — into the 

 mouth of the hole leading down to the nest. Most of the wasps that 

 are really troublesome are Vespa vulgaris, and build their nests in the 

 ground, so that there is no difficulty about destroying the nests, as every 

 wasp that passes over the cyanide of potassium is killed by the fumes as 

 it passes in or out of the nest. For this reason we prefer to place the 

 cyanide in the mouth of the hole during the daytime, for when placed 

 there at night when the wasps are at rest much of its strength has 

 evaporated, and is lost before the wasps are active in the morning. There 

 is no danger of being stung if the person destroying the nests walks 

 quietly up to the hole and places the cyanide of potassium carefully in, and 

 moves away again quietly without beating at any wasps that may be 

 buzzing about him. W T e have destroyed hundreds of nests in this way 

 without once getting stung. Cyanide of potassium is a deadly poison, 

 and should only be used by a careful person, nor should it be left about 

 where children could get at it. It is far more effective and expeditious 

 than tar, gunpowder, or any other means for destroying wasp nests. 



Vines Scalded. 



" I enclose some berries of ' Muscat of Alexandria ' and * Lady 

 Downes ' which always go in this way, whereas ' Mrs. Pince's Black 

 Muscat ' and ' Gros Colmar ' in the same house look perfectly healthy. 

 Can you tell me what the disease is ? " — The disease was no disease at 



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