CONFEEENCE ON FRUIT GROWING. 



39 



hibernate in the ground during the winter, and therefore, during the early 

 spring season while the leaves are quite green and young, we send a 

 woman round to pick off the leaves up to about two feet high and burn 

 them. In that manner we have, to a great extent, been able to master 

 the black aphis on Cherries. 



It wants a lot of killing. Sometimes we have to repeat the operation, 

 and it is not unusual for it to destroy the leading shoots, but we must 

 attack it to keep it down. Then a word as to the wonderful appearance 

 and disappearance of the aphis. We had an instance where some 

 thousands of trees were suddenly and completely covered with the green 

 aphis. I was away from the nursery for three days, and when I returned 

 I found they had all disappeared. The only reason we could suggest at 

 the time was that we had a " cold snap " in the middle of the summer, 

 and they must have been killed by the low temperature. Perhaps the 

 scientific gentlemen here present may help us to combat these pests. 

 1904 was a bad year for them, but this year was the reverse. 



It is not unusual for young Plum trees to be affected by white lice, 

 like aphides, which live on the under side of the leaf. If we can get rid 

 of these in the autumn we are to a certain extent immune the following 

 year. As to the Pear midge we had a plantation of old trees bought for 

 experimental purposes, and there we first discovered it. By taking off 

 the lower branches, and giving a heavy dressing of kainit, we have been 

 able to cure them to some extent. I would advise everyone to treat this 

 pest as we do the Gooseberry caterpillar : take off the surface of the soil 

 for about seven inches and burn it. By that means you will kill a large 

 number of the larvae. We rely upon methylated spirit, and use almost 

 exclusively vegetable substances, such as extract of quassia mixed with 

 soft soap, as insecticides. We do not use any of the nostrums advertised 

 so largely. 



Mr. Page said carbolic soft soap mixed with water will kill cater- 

 pillars, and basic slag will cure silver leaf. Pear midge can be killed 

 with bone meal, sulphate of iron, kainit, and superphosphate. I have 

 not had the Black Currant mite since I used carbolic soft soap. 



Mr. Spencer Pickering : We use pure paraffin, and we practically 

 destroy the whole of the eggs. But we have used paraffin on neighbour- 

 ing trees with different results, due no doubt to accidental circumstances. 

 Professor Theobald made some very valuable suggestions as to the use 

 of vegetable poisons in preference to mineral poisons. That idea has 

 occurred to myself, though I believe that neither of us is the first to 

 whom it has occurred. I have been investigating this year, but started 

 too late to make very much progress. I have used different poisons of an 

 alkaloid nature, and the results are very promising. At the same time 

 they are hardly sufficiently advanced to enable me to say much about 

 them. 



Question : Is there any hope in the future of our being able to keep 

 the fungi in check ? 



Mr. Pickering : I think there is every hope, judging from what we 

 have done. 



