THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. VI. No. 1. JUNE, 1899. 



THE SPRAYING OF FRUIT TREES. 



Many fruit-growers in England are recognising that they 

 cannot depend upon a. crop of fruit unless they spray their 

 trees in the spring. Insects are increasing so rapidly in 

 orchards and fruit plantations, especially those which devour 

 the leaves and blossoms as soon as they appear, that it is 

 absolutely necessary to check them in the early stages of 

 growth. Foreign fruit-growers have realised this for some 

 i me past, and spray their fruit trees regularly, and as a part 

 of the routine of ordinary cultivation. American and 

 Canadian growers, or at least the most intelligent and 

 advanced among them, spray their fruit trees systematically, 

 beginning as soon as the leaves show, and continuing until 

 the trees are free from infestation. 



In the case of the several caterpillars which infest apple, 

 pear, and plum trees, their attack commences even before 

 the buds begin to burst. A little warmth in the first days of 

 early spring causes the caterpillars to come from the eggs, 

 when they find their way quickly into the buds and com- 

 mence feeding on them. If the surroundings are made un- 

 pleasant by spraying with paraffin emulsion, or quassia and 

 soft soap solutions, the young caterpillars, which are very 

 small indeed in their early stages, fall to the ground ; or if 

 their first food is poisoned by spraying the bursting leaves 



