184 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1890 
food than it does in England, and many other things 
are dearer than here. The work is mostly performed 
by negroes, who are paid at the rate of 5s. 2id. per 
day, and they are not, as a rule, very industrious folk. 
There is a fair amount of English society in some 
parts, and a good many Americans from the North, 
who in many instances live in the Northern States 
during the summer. — W. H. Divees, Ketton Hall, 
Stanford. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
THE USE OF INSECTICIDES. 
The following details are taken from current 
American publications : — Professor Lake’s experiments 
upon spraying Apples and Pears with London Purple 
for the Codlin moth, give some interesting results. 
Four sprayings were given, the last one being August 
12. The treatment had a decided benefit until “ the 
latter part of August, but from that time to the 
date of picking (October 1), the affected fruit increased 
so rapidly, that the final results on some trees of 
both sprayed and unsprayed were about the same. 
We had considered it un.'afe to spray later than 
August 12, but the results would indicate that had 
we omitted the first spraying, and given another in 
the latter part of August, effective work would have 
been done.” The first spraying immediately after the 
falling of the blossoms, seemed to accomplish little 
or no good, as observations made for two weeks 
after the first spraying failed to give any indications 
of the moth’s work in the fruit of either sprayed 
or unsprayed trees.” The Codlin moth must behave 
differently in Oregon than in the eastern states. The 
summary of the season’s work is as follows : — “ 1. Early 
spraying — just after the blossoms fall — is useless. 2, 
A mixture of 6 oz. of London Purple to 100 gal. 
of water is better than a stronger one. 3. The 
mixture should be kept thoroughly stirred while being 
used. 4. Young and vigorous foliage is more suscepti- 
ble to injury by burning from the application of 
arsenities than is older or less vigorous foliage. 5. 
Spraying as late as September 1, or even later on 
winter Apples, is desirable as far as fighting the moth 
is concerned. (There may be some danger in such 
late spraying, however, and this is one phase of the 
subject for next year’s work.) 6. All fallen Apples 
that are affected should be destroyed daily. 7. The 
cost per tree for each spraying will average, in small 
orchards, about 3 cents. In larger orchards it would 
be less.” Bulletin No. 3, Oregon Experiment Station. 
Woolly Aphis. — Woolly aphis upon Apple trees was 
destroyed by a spray of lye-water — 1 lb. of concen- 
trated lye to 3 gal. of water. Kerosine emulsion was 
not found to be a satisfactory remedy. — Bulletin, 
Oregon Experiment Station, 
Fighting Codlin Moth in loica. — Mr. Gillette 
controlled a small and isolated plantation of Duchess 
Apples, upon which careful experiments were made 
with London Purple and water, P.aris Green and 
jilaster, and carbolished plaster. In every case treated 
trees gave better fruit than untreated trees. The 
poorest results were obtained from the use of car- 
bolised plaster, there having been a saving of 34 per 
cent, of fruit liable to injury. “ This remedy could 
hardly be recommended, even if very good results were 
obtained, as it does not kill the insect in any of its 
stages, but simply repels the moths, which seek the 
fruit of neighbouring trees, on which to deposit 
their eggs.” Next best results were obtained from 
the London Purple, which saved about 80 per cent, 
of the fruit. One pound of poison was used with 
128 gallons of water; some of the trees were sprayed 
once, and some twice. Best results followed the 
apidication of Paris Green and plaster. This saved 
04 jjer cent, of the fruits liable to attack. “ I 
believe that no one has ever rojiorted on a remedy 
for the Codlin moth, which, by careful counts, has 
shown as good residis ns this.” One pound of Paris 
Green was used with 100 lb. of plaster. This was 
thoroughly dusted over the trees, from one to three 
times. Mr. Gellette thinks that two applications are 
ample, ” Poisons cannot bo applied by this method , ^ 
as rapidly or easily as by means of a force-pump, 
but it has the advantage of costing nothing for ap- 
paratus, and the trees can be dusted quite rapidly from 
a waggon, by driving on the windward side of the 
row. This method of applying the poisons would be 
especially useful where only a few trees were to be 
treated, and where it is thought that a pump cannot 
be afforded.” These results with the dry poison 
are certainly remarkable, and they indicate that a 
distributing-machine like the lately perfected Straw- 
fonizer, of England, may yet find use and favour in 
our orchards. At all events, these experiments afford 
a new proof of the efficacy of arsenites in the 
combatting of the Oodlin moth. Bulletin No. 7, Iowa 
Experiment Station. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
♦ 
Sthaweekry Leaves as Tea. — A new industry has 
sprung up in Germany with the young leaves of 
the wild strawberry plant. Having been carefully 
dried, they are used instead of Chinese tea, and 
are said to approach that beverage very closely in 
taste. An addition of young bramble and wood- 
ruff leaves is said to add to the excellent flavor of 
this most inexpensive of teas. — Manchester (Eng.) 
Grocers' Revieiv in American Grocer. 
I’isciCULTURE. — Some time ago Mr. Le Mesu- 
rier of the Ceylon Civil Service, was deputed by 
' his Government to proceed to Madras and secure 
the fry of the Lahoe, a species of fresh water 
carp, and of the Gonrami native of the Malaccan 
Islands, and introduced into Madras by Sir Wil- 
liam Denison while Governor of the Presidency. 
The fry was wanted to stock the fresh waters 
of the colony with. This mission Mr. Le Me- 
surier successfully accomplished with the aid of 
Dr. Thurston, taking back with him a number of 
fry not only of Labeo and Gourami, but of other 
fish much esteemed as food. The introduction 
has evidently been successful, for we find that 
Dr. Thurston has been requested by the Ceylon 
Government, through the local authorities, to 
procure and forward the fry of the Cirrhina 
Clilirrliosa, or “white carp.” — Pioneer, June 9th. 
The writer of an artie’e in the Neio York Forum 
entitled “When the Farmer will be prosperous,” 
looks forward to an early date when the United 
States will have to import large quantities of which to 
feed its ever growing population. The acreage per 
head of population necessary to produce cereals 
and other agricultural produce required for home 
consumption is calculated at 3‘15 acres. In the 
ten year’s preceding 1884 the cultivated area had 
been extended at an average rate of something 
over eight million acres a year, the result being 
that at the close of that period there was a surplus of 
20.248.000 acres under cultivation beyond the aggre- 
gate required according to the above calculations. 
But during the succeeding four years the rate of 
extension fell to a little under three million acres 
a year, so that the surplus area was reduced to 
12.888.000 acres between 1888 and 1894, the writer 
is of opinion, the rate of extension will undergo a still 
further diminution, but taking it at three million 
acres [per annum, and the ratio of increase of 
population at 27 per cent per annum, there will 
at the end of the period remain only three acres 
of cultivated land per head of population, instead 
of the required 3-15 acres. To keep up this 
cultivated area to the requirement of the grow- 
ing population would necessitate an annual addi- 
tion of six million acres of arable land, and the 
writer does not believe that it can be found, though of 
course higher prices would bring inferior soils under 
the plough. This is, indeed, good news for both 
the British farmer and the Indian ryot. — Indian 
Agriculturist. 
