GARDEN NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13171, 18 July 1908, Page 7

GARDEN NOTES.

'•■'.'' (Bt Hoxtcs.) .. • .-.>/ RED SPIDER. . This is a mite, not a spider» and one of tho fruit growers' greatest-pests. Though so small as to bo scarcely visit bio to tho naked eye, it may be fouml in summer time occasionally in myriads upon tho under sides off tho leaves of. fruit trees, and its injurious effects very great. A severe attack of ; this minute insect causes the leaves.to fall prematurely, prevents the attain* ing its full si»vand the KTOwtb* buds formed are so weakened as to irifcperil the succooding crop. Red spider generally reside and breed ont: the oofder side of the; and the infested leaves aro vory distinguishable as soon as they are attacked; by "them, for the insect wound the fine, capfllary Toseeje with its proboscis, and this causes the upper surface of the leaf to.appear of Very small dots or/spots of'a lifiht colour. When tho Acari (mitee.or wil spiders) are very numerous,thej work a. fine web over the. wbole of the under aide of tho leaf, as also around the edges thereof, and it is curious enough to observe that they commonly carry this web in a etrnigW line from on« angle of the leaf to' another, on whioh boundary lino on a warm day they pail? and repass in-very great numbers, . The. sins. and colour of the mit«i differ with age^Md v Tanety.•>: ytbe-; Tarioties infesting fruit largest is found on tho gooseberry,' tA[e smallest on tho plum, 'fho colouV'.'of tho insept is, at Urst, very pale, but it soon becomes grej-iah-groop, with trown specks on the sides rapidly chanKing ,to rust-red up to milion; body oval, with separation Jof thorax and abdomen, and nearf tho hinder end is a conical wort, .from which "the thread issues foVepujiung.^^^J^^ • The larvjo: (so called/ hive f adulte eight ■wards, and two pairs' /female lays eggif bonoatli'-'orVattiiobid-■io' the threads of the glntii|;=i 'ous; secretion, hatching about eight days. The mites have ;twb:> 'erinut©; eyes, , ; aiid- i'a shoots, i !The :-iniury': they.i/flcciai6o!j|*' often ririnoxts...R^ : , in - tinuo ; tl»e»r, d6predatibns; the. aummer on variow > v Inairtwrnn tt* . the;; ,cra«fee,- ■': jcteVioee, v tions /of (hence value .■ of r trellisc*, woodwork, aw-''mlnjiijmgjbif| bo fobad /ia M3i. nating.; Treatmen*^thei*fWe:ik-jiS^ ' iwtion An bVi the soft . Soft. ci^^ Aoxi;4SgVllonßofw.^ r .a^:jl»tw^^ ;■:-■..Th*-;.oompo*itiotti;niujAv,ii^i|^^^w^ * at- f the t etrength .^jiMintiQfl|M<iiDtt^l(n^| stronger solutions of to the gaUeii of tho: tender growths j ;tberefi)Te-ei|otieJtoi «e»Mi^>to;:i<»/^U^ : and us<s"'the/fuß.»6n^^ Plum and other ,tr»«iHUi'«ieotrt P Jeayei : may./be ; strength of 100 Vhilei^t^e^S and at fuU/ streagtb becomes firm.-~''Joarnal:rf