FRUIT OULTURE.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1032, 4 May 1894, Page 3

FRUIT OULTURE.

There was a fair attendance at the High School on Friday evening, when Mr Blackmore, Government Pomologist, delivered a lecture on ** general fruit culture, insect pests, and diseases.' Mr D. Stewart, vice-president of the Clutha Horticultural Sooioty, under whose auspices the lecture was given, occupied the chair, and in a few appropriate remarks introduced the speaker. Mr Blackmore, who, on rising, was greeted with applause, said that, as his time was limited, he would confine himself to general practical hints based, not only on his own experience but also that of the largest and most able fruit culturists of the day. The pleasure and profit of fruitgrowing depended in a great measure upon the judicious selection of soil, situtation, trees . and varieties, and their proper arrangement and management. The fruits intended for market should be first, in regard to trees, hardy, vigorous and productive, and the fruits of good size, fair appearance, and good quality. If there was a distance from market the early and mid season fruits should be those that would stand carriage or were suited for special purposes, such as canning, drying and cider making while, the late season varieties should be good keepers. In regard to the situation of an orchard, shelter from the force and influence of the prevailing winds was a primary consideration. In districts subject to late frosts elevated situations were preferable, although extremes in elevated sites ought to be avoided, as they were often exposed to bleak and exhausting winds which caused excessive evaporation from the foliage and seriously checked growth. After describing the nature of different soils, he stated that all soils not perfectly free from stagnant nioistureought tobe drained which was of vast importance as regarded increasing its temperature. Another important consideration was the depth of soil required for orchard purposes. A deep soil was requisite to enable the roots to penetrate freely in search of food and to enable them to withstand the demands of protracted droughts. Nothing was so troublesome or expensive in an orchard as an ill prepared soil. All manures, before planting the trees, should be well decomposed, or the trees would made rank growth and never mature properly. A well drained soil, between clayey and sandy loam, suited the apple and pear, and if it contained a little lime it was the most fertile these fruits could be planted on. The plum succeeded best on a clayey loam, rather stiff 5 the peach, nectarine, and apricot did best on a dry sandy loam ; the cherry, if worked on cherry stock, throve best on light sandy loam, but if worked on Mahal eb stock did fairly well on strong clay. In purchasing trees they should remember that to get a first class article from an honest nurseryman they must expect to pay a fair price. Trees selected merely because cheap might prove a most expensive thing ; they should also guard against purchasing insects as well as trees.. If they were not sure that the trees were clean they should cjip them from 16 to 20 seconds in a solution composed of caustic soda and soft soap, at a temperature of 110 degrees, the proportions of the mixture to be as follows : — Water" 25 gallons ; caustic soda four-fifths of a lb; soft soap 6£lbs. In planting they should be careful not to place the trees in a cold or wet soil — it would be better lo defer the operation till moderately late in the spring. He believed the best form . of trees for orchard purposes would be low headed ones, the trunk up to about 12 inches, open, without central leaders. Such trees possessed, among other advantages, accessibility of fruit, ease of pruning and dressing with insecticides, and freedom from damage by high winds. He then described the method of forming such a tree. They should give trees a clean, mellow, fertile soil, and, as a rule, grow nothing between them. Clean culture was generally practised in large fruit growing countries ; in California a contract for orchard culture yearly specified for ploughing followed by harrowing, 10 summer workings with the cultivator, three workings with the shallow cultivator or weed cutter, and five hand hoeings around the trees. The Californians had over 15,000,000 of fruit trees, besides 225,000 acres pf vines. In 1890 they supplied the wants of a quarter of a million of fruit eating people and, in addition, shipped

. lbs. Fresh fruits . . . . 87,277,430 Dried fruits . . .. 43,811,450 7 Baisins .. .. 28,860,920 Canned fruits 7 . . 80,465,080 This in addition to making 17,000,000 gallons of wine. There was no country in which the climatic conditions were so favorable, or had, iv proportion to its size, so large an area of land suited for the production of good apples as New Zealand. The trees were early and abundant bearers, the fruit large, handsome, rich in flavor, and of quality equal to anything that could be grown in any part of the world. The apple could be grown upon almost any soil— except peaty on the one hand and very stiff clayey on the other — which allowed extension of tho roots to a considerable, depth, the most suitable soil being a deep rich, calcareous loam. Apple culture was therefore bound to become a source of wealth to this country, as the fruit could* be used in so many ways — for home Use, cider making, drying by evaporators and export. If practicable apples should be picked on a moderately/ coqlCday, and, placed in a moderately- cool shed protected from the sun, in which case they would not gather moisture. Having given some valuable hints as to the storage and packing of fruit, evaporation ancl canning, Mr Blackmore said it might be asked if fruit growing would pay ; if the country would not soon be overstocked with fruits 1 His reply was that people were just beginning to learn the use of fruits and to appreci- ! ate their, importance. Formerly fruit had been considered a luxury, but now it was considered an indispensable article of food. To place fruit on every table would necessitate a large extension of the orchard area, and it was far too soon to apprehend an over supply. The shipment of fruit to England and elsewhere was only in its infancy ; the demand for apples alone was practically unlimited. Then again various fruits could be dried, preserved and prepared for various purposes and enormous quantities of apples could be profitably manufactured into cider. There was s«.nt out of the Colony in 1892 for fresh fruits L 67,610 (of which Ll 1,236 went direct to Tasmania, principally for apples) ; for bottled and canned fruits L 4304, and for dried fruits L 9863. These returns did not include raisins and currants. It was said that fruitgrowing would not pay because of the formidable Mtt of destructive insects and. parasite fungi which attacked the fruit. Among these were insects which fed upon the surface of the leaf ; insects such as the oyster shell scale, which fed upon the surface of leaf, bark, or fruit ; insects such as the codlin moth, which bored into the fruit ; insects which bored into the stones, branches, and roots ; and insects, such as the Aphides, which attacked the roots and branches of various trees. As if these were not enough there was the red spider, a destructive, troublesome thing, scarcely visible to the naked eye. Injurious fungi often accompanied these insects. Patient painstaking orchardists were gradually proving by experiment that these diseases could be successfully combatted by applying various fungicides at various seasons and periods of growth. The first requisite was a good spraying apparatus, of sufficient strength to throw a mist-like spray, with a proper nozzle attached and coarser spray for thicker fluid when required. For fungi which lived upon the surface of plants or which had their bodies soon exposed by the breaking up of the epidermis — such as the apple seab — curative instead of preventive treatment could be adopted by spraying during the spring and summer with sulphide of soda wash, dissolved sulphur with lime, the modified sulphate of copper mixture with treacle added, or ammoniacal carbonate of copper mixture. He then proceeded to deal with the several fungi and insects that were beginning to be troublesome in New Zealand orchards, enumerating and describing the entomosphorium maculatum (causing the leaf blight or scald of pear tree), fusicladium dentriticum (scab on the apple), sphcerella fragarce (strawberry leaf blight), and phyllostica cirevmcissa (shot hole fungus attacking leaves of plum, cherry, nectarine, and foliage of apricot), recommending treatment for each which he subseqnently explained would be published by the Government in leaflets to orchardists. Among injurious insects those demanding the immediate attention of New Zealand orchardists were the codlin moth in the northern orchards and the oyster scale shell in the south. The scale could be destroyed in various ways, a cheap and effectual remedy being a lime, salt and sulphur mixture, followed by resin washes in the spring. Kerosene emulsions and sulphidt of soda were good if applied just when the young scale were hatching out. The tree slug or leech on pear, plum and cherry trees, could be easily destroyed by spraying half an ounce of hellebore to the gallon of water _ an infusion of the leaves of the elder tree had also been lately recommended. For the destruction of aphis and thrips, tobacco water, quassia, and soft soap, one ounce each to the gallon of water, formed a most effective remedy. The bronze beetle could be destroyed by a spray of Paris green, and the tree leech by milk of lime with the addition 'of Paris green. There were different methods of repressing the codlin moth,

namely : (1) To kill the young larvae while in the fruit ; (2) to destroy the mature larva? ; (3) aming to destroy the moth ; and (4) aming to destroy the hibernating cocoons. To destroy the young larvae a spray of Paris green or London purple, modified with lime ought to be used, as soon as the blossom had fallen. Larvse could be prevented from hibernating on the trees by scraping off all the loose bark, and the larvse could be caught by putting bands round the trees and so providing artifical shelter for the worms. He wished to mention that amongst apples which had arrived from Australia lately he had noticed the grub of the Australian light brown apple moth, which was just as destructive as the codlin moth. The lime water for Paris green ought to be formed by putting from four to eight pounds of thoroughly slaked lime in 200 gallons of water. After the lime was thoroughly soaked there should be added one pound of Paris green ; or London purple might be added to Bordeaux mixture. For the destruction of the codlin worm the mixture ought to be applied as soon as the blossoms fell. The calyx of the apple was then up and would retain the poison long enough to kill the worm. While the orchardist ought to be untiring in his warfare against injurious insects he ought also, in the lecturer's opinion, to study the habits of parasites and the friendly insects. For instance, he said, many of the true lady-birds materially assisted in keeping down such pests as aphides and scale, and all the family were very active and rapidly devoured large numbers of the insects they prayed upon. — At the close of his lecture, Mr Blackmore answered questions, ancl being asked where good sprayers were procurable, said that of the many he had tried, the only one that had given him satisfaction was one by a Californian manufacturer, A Dunedin firm was now, however, perfecting a sprayei, which was to be tested in a few days, and he believed, would excel any in the market. Two sizes were to be made, and the smaller i -would bs sold at L 5. On the motion of the Chairman a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Blackmore for his very interesting lecture.

Mr Blackmore has supplied us with the following receipes : — Insecticides. — Snmmer remedy for oyster shell scale : Caustic soada (98 per cent.) 101 b ; potash, 101 b ; tallow, 401 b ; resin, 401 b. First dissolve the potash and soda in ten gallons of water ; when dissolved place the whole amount in a barrel (50 gallon measure.) Second diso.ve the tallow and resin together ; when dissolved add the same to the potash and soda in the barrel, ancl stir well for five minutes or sc. Leave standing for about two hours,then fill up with water, stirring well as every bucket goes in, use the following day one pound to the gallon of water (it is important that the direction as to the solution being left to stand for two hours should be carefully followed). Apply warm. For spring and summer sulphide of soda wash : Soft soap, 211 b ; sulphur. 81b ; American concentrated lye, 3lb ; water, 150 gallons. Boil the 301 bof soap in 50 gallons of water, then boil the 31b concentrated lye and 81b of sulphur in . about 2 gallons of water, when thoroughly dissolved ifc is a dark brown colour : now mix altogether with aboufc 100 gallons of water and apply warm. — Winter remedy Four-fifths of a pound of Greenbank'a powdered caustic soda of 98 per cent, one half pound of commercial potash and dissolve in 6 gallons of water. This is a most effectual winter wash for the destruction of oyster shell scale. The advantage of using potash with the soda is that the potash collects moisture and keeps the compound acting when the soda alone will dry and crystallise and cease working on the scale, — Lime, salt, and sulphur — a winter remedy : Quicklime, 401 b ; sulphur 201 b ; salt, 151 b ; water, 60 gallons. First boil 201 b lime and 201 b sulphur in 20 gallons of water until both lime anrl sulphur are dissolved (if fche quantity of lime named does not dissolve the sulphur readily, add a little more lime). This will require aboufc an hours' boiling. When sufficiently done the mixture will be of an amber colour. The remainder of the lime should then be slaked in a barrel with hot water, add the salt and stir up briskly. Mix the two lots together with enough water to make up 60 gallons, which will then be a thin whitewash. Strain and apply hot. — For winter use an excellent remedy suitable for nurserymen to dip both roots and tops of fruifc trees in for 16 or 20 seconds at a temperature of 110 degrees, can be made by dissolving in 25 gallons of water four fifths of a pound of caustic soda, with 6£lb of soft soap. — The following remedies are useful in keeping down mildew : Sulphuret of potassium, from 1 to 4 ounces to a gallon of water. Hyposulphite of soda, lib to ten gallons of water. Liquid Grisson : Prepare by boiling six pounds of sulphur and three pounds of lime in six gallons of water until the whole is reduced to two gallons. Allow it to settle, pour oft the clear liquid and bottle until used. For use, mix one part of the liquid with 100 parts of water. Fungicides — Ammoniacal solution of copper carbonate. Dissolve 5 ounces of carbonate of copper in 3 pints of strong ammonia water. When completely dissolved pour the solution into a barrel holding 45 gallons and fill with water. Always add sufficient water to the copper carbonate to make a thick, paste before pouring on the ammonia. If 3 pints of ammonia will not dissolve all the copper, add enough to bring, about this result. Carbonate of copper is a fine greenish powder ; it is difficult- to obtain in this country, on this account it is desireable to prepare it at home. This can be easily done. To make it procure a tub or barrel, and in this disolve 61b of copper sulphate br bluestone in 4 or 5 gallons of water, in another vessel dissolve 71b of sal-soda, using hot water for the purpose.

When the soda solution is cool pour it slowly into the vessel containing the copper sulphate liquid. Stir the mixture thoroughly, then allow it to stand 24 hours. Now syphon off the clear liquid . anrl allow the sediment, which is carbonate of copper, to stand for a day or two, until it becomes* pasiy. For every 7 ounces of this paste add 3 pints of strong ammonia- water or enough to dissolve the sediment. . The liquid thus obtained is concentrated ammoniacal solution. To prepare it for spraying it is only necessary to dilute each 3 pints with 45 gallons of water.— Eau Celeste, blue water. Dissolve 21b of sulphate of copper in 8 gallons of water ; when completely dissolved add 3 pints strong ammonia. Wh-on ready to use dilute to 45 gallons. — Modified eau celeste. Dissolve 41b of sulphate of copper in 10 orl2 gallons of water. In another vessel dissolve 51b of washing soda, mix the solution and add 3 pints of aqua ammonia (strong) ; dilute to 45 gallons. — Solution of ammoniacal carbonate of copper. Into a vessel having capacity of aboufc a gallon of water) pour 3 pints of strong aqua ammonia. Add soz of carbonate of copper, stir rapidly for a moment and the carbonate of copper will dissolve rapidly in the ammonia, farming a very clear liquid. For use \ dilute to 45 gallons.

According to arrangement a number of gentlemen met Mr Blackmore at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning, and proceeding to an orchard in the township he gave explanations as to the several classes of diseases of trees, strawberries, etc., and their treatment. He also gave practical lessons on pruning, etc,