: October L-1904" nt 
powers and general appearances are, apart 
“from distinctive habits of varieties, the 
-outcome of climate acting on the food sup- 
ply, the man’s attention or neglect at dif- 
ferent seasons. Moist air is of the greatest 
benefit to soft-skinned and sensitive fruit. 
Moist air should, as far as possible, pre- 
vail until the fruit is fully grown. Dry air 
is needed to ripen a percentage of the 
leaves, especially those near the fruit, when 
it ig the season for gathering. Fruit taken 
from trees when all the leaves are green 
-and unfinished, is ever inferior. 
A. good appearance is, of course, a great 
aid to the sale of fruit, but fine flavor is, 
after all, the only thing which will find and 
secure a permanent market, as it compels 
those who discover it to become regular 
purchasers. 
Of course, where trees are planted in 
radically wrong: positions, little or no im- 
provement can be hoped for; but a great 
deal can be done in the way of improved 
methods of cultivating, soil dressing, and 
pruning, towards raising the standard of 
excellence in our fruit. Placed as we are, 
little and good will prove of greater value 
than heavy quantities of inferior’stuff. The 
finer the quality the greater the keeping 
power, hence the marketing season. can. be 
prolonged, and gluts to a great extent 
avoided. Even for preserving, the finest 
fruit is necessary, as no flavor obtains in ~ 
such as are made from green or badly 
nourished samples. Most stone fruits are 
losing their vitality, and it is high time that 
some species—especially peaches—were in- 
tioduced from vital seedling stock, whichi 
are best able to bear up against hard natu- 
ral conditions and the presence of insects 
and disease. 
SPRAYING FOR FUNGUS DISEASES. 
Nearly all the preparations so far success- 
fully employed to control the attacks of the 
fungus enemies of cultivated plants are 
forms of copper compounds. Sulphate of 
copper, or bluestone, is generally regarded 
as the cheapest and most reliable basis for 
the manufacture of these sprays. Though 
a simple solution of bluestone has been 
used for very many years, and is still the 
favorite preventive for the stinking smut of 
wheat, yet it was not until 1882 that any 
great headway was made in treating plant 
diseases. In that year Millardet, at Bor- 
deaux, in France, found that a compound of 
bluestone and lime which had been applied 
to some vines to prevent the fruit being 
eaten had a most remarkable effect in 
checking the dreaded mildew. 
This compound, now regarded as the best 
all-round fungicide, received the name of 
Bordeaux mixture from the place of its 
origin. Since then various preparation- 
have bean hrought forward for similar purs 
poses, and of these there may be men- 
tioned the ammoniacal copper-carbonate, 
the copper-soda or Burgundy mixture, and 
copper acetate. Each has special features 
-of value, but none has so far proved as 
satisfactory for general work as the Bor-— 
-deaux. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
THE COPPER-SODA SPRAY. 
This spray is of recent origin, and in it 
washing soda takes the place of the lime in 
the Bordeaux. Though on the whole the 
results obtained from its use in our experi- 
ments were hardly as good as with Bor- 
deaux, there seems no reason why this mix- 
ture should not prove quite as efficient. 
The formula recommended for general 
use is the 69°50, that is, 6 lbs. of blue- 
stone, 9 lbs. of washing soda, and 50 
gallons of water. A stronger solution, 
6940, is worthy of trial in wet districts. 
The process of manufacture is exactly the 
same as in Bordeaux, the blusstone should 
be dissolved in one barrel and made up to 
25 gallons, and the washing soda dissolved 
in the other and also made up to 25 gallons, 
the two solutions being then run evenly into 
a third barrel. Here there is no necessity 
for a strainer, as the washing soda dissolves 
completely. The resulting mixture is of a 
sky-blue color. but more watery In appear- 
ance than Bordeaux. It possesses one 
advantage in that the hands are not appre- 
ciably corroded by it, but as against this 
scarcely any perceptible deposit is seen on 
the trees after the spray has dried. Hencé 
some substance might be added, so that its 
presence may be more easily detected, and 
the quality of the work done by the 
sprayers more readily determined. To 
those with a desire to experiment in the 
improvement of this mixture it may be 
suggested that any of the following sub- 
stances may be added to the soda solution 
before mixing with the bluestone, viz.:— 
Sal ammoniac, soft soap, molasses, salt- 
petre, sulphate of ammonia, or salt. Gene- 
rally speaking, about 1 lb. of any of the 
salts may be used, and say 2 lbs. when 
using soft soap or molasses. Perhaps it is 
hardly necessary to add that such experi- 
ments should be conducted on a small scale 
only, even on single trees, the bulk of the 
spraying being done with the ordinary 
copper-soda. 
BLUESTONE AND SOFT SOAP. 
‘A simple solution of bluestone, 2 lbs. in 
50 gallons of water, with 4 lbs. of soft soap 
in addition, is a cheap and valuable fungi- 
cide for use in comparatively dry districts. 
Owing, however, to its strongly corrosive 
nature, it is liable to cause considerable 
scorching of the leaves if applied after the 
buds burst, hence it is advised for use only 
before the blossoming. 
WHEN TO SPRAY. 
Some orchardists about to give spraying 
a trial, and who have acquainted themselves 
with the composition of Bordeaux mixture, 
fondly imagine that there is some fixed date 
which is the best time for spraying; but if 
they considered for a moment what they 
spray for, then they would see that there is 
no such thing. The main object of spray- 
ing for a disease such as the black spot of 
the apple is either to prevent the spores of 
the fungus from germinating, or to nip 
them in the bud, just as they-are putting 
forth their delicate germ-tubes, and seeking 
to penetrate the young and growing tissues. 
The time at which the germination of the 
spores happens is largely dependent on the 
nature of the season, which hastens or re- 
tards the development of the fungus, just 
as it does that of the tree itself, Now, if 
See rer) 
LL. 
the seasons were perfectly regular, and ths 
development of fruit trees in ditfersr- 
localities uniform, it might ‘be possible to 
give a definite date, but with the varyinz 
seasons and conditions, the most that cir 
be done is to indicate the best time for pre- 
venting the development of the fingus. Lt 
therefore becomes important for tht perfece 
success of our sprayinz operations, not o ily 
that the Bordeaux mixture is properly pre- 
pared, and the ingredients in the right pro- 
portions, but that itis applied at the bes: 
time for reaching the tungus before it las 
penetrated the tissues and gained a footins 
inside the plant. 
Researches by J. F. Clarke have show 
that a germinating spore has a certain s -i- 
vent action upon dried deposits of copp rr 
compounds with which it may be in conta:*, 
and in fact the process of germination itseis 
sets free the poison which kills the spor.s. 
Thus by spraying too early, when the tres 
is quite dormant, we are applying th- 
fungicide long before it is wanted, and ix 
addition subjecting it to the influence cf 
rain und other agencies likely to wash it off 
or destroy its usefulness. 
Some observations made during the last 
two years on the first appearance of the 
black spot in the spring will be of infe est 
in this connection. At Killara, in 1902, & 
very late season, some Ribston Pippine 
were sprayed on 23rd September, when the 
first buds w-re bursting, but some time be- 
fore any blossoms; had fully app2ared, ank 
when examined on 15th October the petals 
were more than half fallen, and the fruis 
mostly set. The black spot was met with 
on a few leaves enclosing the blossoms. 
When spraying at Doncaster, on 2nd 
October, 1903, when the trees were coming 
into flower, and about five or six daye 
before full bloom there was abundance of 
black spot on the young leaves and fruit- 
stalks. Many clusters of flowers, with not 
a single blossom expanded, bore a plentifuk 
crop of black spot on the stalks and calyx, 
hence in this case spraying was done toa 
late to secure the best results. 
- In 1902 with Bose pears sprayed on 24th 
September, some of the mixture was after— 
wards seen on top of the spot. On 9th 
October black spot was extremely common 
on fruits, fruit-stalks, and young leaves 
when petals had mostly fallen. On another 
variety growing alongside, name unknown 
the black spot was fairly plentiful on the 
same, 9th. October, though at that time the 
petals had not quite half fallen, and many 
flowers were not yetopen. Many individuak 
flowers and stalks were plucked, showing 
the spot before the petals had expanded. 
_ These facts, however, show that the first 
infections of the young leaves and flower 
stalks of the pear must have occurred im 
the case of the Bose prior to the 2ith Sep- 
tember, and in the other variety probably 
a few days Jater. There seems then n>» 
escape from the conclusion that the fics: 
spraying of pears must be done as soon a+ 
the first blooms begin to expand, and pe — 
bably if this were followed up by anoth:c 
about ten days later, when the tree woul: 
bejust about in full bloom, the maximu a 
beneficial results would be obtained. f+ 
seems doubtful-if.the black spot of the 
pear can be so successfully controlled by 
