Garden Pests and Remedies 
Old Apple These should be trimmed and pruned towards the end of 
Trees December, when absolutely dormant. At this time they can 
safely be headed back and all dead and diseased branches cut 
off. Fruit trees always suffer from severe lopping off of their 
branches, so it should be done very gradually. A good top dress- 
ing of well rotted stable manure, spread over the roots to the 
depth of four inches and pressed firmly down, will bring excel- 
lent results. 
For "Woolly 
Aphis 
Wastage of 
Autumn 
Leaves 
Garden 
Refuse 
Carnations 
Spray with 3 ounces Nicotine, one pound soft soap, forty 
gallons water. 
The following suggestion from The Flower Grower is a 
timely one: 
' ' Nothing will grieve the soul of a thrifty gardener more than 
the sight of municipal trucks dumping autumn leaves, gathered 
from the streets, in out-of-way places, simply to get rid of them. 
This is a crime of wastefulness which ought to be stopped. 
Cannot our friends, the gardeners, do something about this 
locally ? If leaves are gathered and dumped in this way, offer to 
pay for them delivered at a designated place. Properly com- 
posted with sods or stable manure, leaves become one of the most 
valuable fertilizers. They contain a very high percentage of 
fertilizing elements in a proportion which is especially useful 
to the growth of flowers. 
"We should all do our part to prevent wastage. Why not 
start a campaign to save the autumn leaves? It is being done 
successfully in many places and it ought to be done everywhere. " 
There are, unfortunately, many amateur gardeners who do 
not realize the value of decayed vegetable matter in the garden. 
They invariably burn it. In the majority of gardens, both large 
and small, there is generally an odd corner where a hole could be 
dug and the refuse thrown in. Of course diseased plants are best 
burnt. The material so collected and placed in the rot-pit should 
be turned occasionally in order to hasten decay. By the time 
that autumn arrives there will be valuable manure for the garden. 
A light covering of earth may be placed over the material. Occa- 
sional waterings will be helpful. As regards hard- wooded material, 
this should be burnt, as its decomposition may take years to 
effect if placed in the rot-pit and while decaying it affords a 
breeding ground for fungi. The ashes obtained from burning 
hard- wooded branches should be saved and kept dry. They form 
a very efficient and practical substitute for artificial potassic 
manures. — The Garden. 
"Leaf Spot" and "Rust" are both apt to appear on Carna- 
tions at this time of year. Keep a dry atmosphere in the house 
and spray plants with potassium sulphide, 1 ounce to 3 gallons 
of water. 
52 
