THE GARDEN

Grey River Argus, 18 June 1927, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN

THE FRUIT SECTION. CURRENT ORCHARD WORK. Work in the orchard will keep the orchardist fairly busy during the next few weeks. The period during whicn pruning and spraying operations ar demanding attention has commenced. The pruning of peach and nectarine trees should be carried out as soon as possible in order that it may be completed before the time for pruning the next fruit tree arrives. Citrus trees should be given a spraying with Bordeaux 4-4-40 to prevent attack from the fungous disease called verrucosis. Red oil emulsion or Black Leaf 40 should also be applied if insect pests are noticed on the trees. All citrus trees should also be looked over carefully for signs of the borer. Should any be present the holes should be dabbed with, benzine, this being the most, effective remedy. In order to increase its effectiveness all the holes should be blocked up with clay. The benzine-fumes will then penetrate throughout the holes that have been bored ami will suffocate the insects. Where those who desire to grow strawberries have not yet planted their beds, this should be attended to without any further delay, or else the plants will not have time to establish themselves before the worst of the winter sets in. PESTS OF THE GARDEN. METHODS OF CONTROL. It may safely be said that the most common of all garden pests- are slugs and snails. These may be found, not in a few gardens only, but in every garden; not singly, but often ip hundreds. Every gardener, no doubt, has had sufficient experience of the abilities of these pests to know that, in one night, they can cause an almost incredible amount of damage.

1.. e conventional method, up to the present, has been to use lime, preferably quicklime, sprinkled about the nlo-t and over the plants to keep tin : -bu during - rhe freqrent ■ ins soon wa e h l : me oft’. As it is • lining this period that the pests are most troublesome the dustings of lime will have to be made fairly frequently in order to be at all effective. Thi"J may be expensive and the gardener would do better to try another method. Soot and Poisoned Baits. Soot may be sprinkle 1 around in the same manner as the lime is used, and this should meet with a fair measure of success. Soot, being gritty, is extremely distasteful to the delicate skin of ■dugs ami snails and rather than crawl over the soot they will keep clear of it. This method of control merely keeps the pests off the crops and does not kill them. It would be much better if they were killed outright, for then there would be absolutely no chance of their becoming nuisances in the future. This may be achieved in a very simple but nevertheless an effective manner. Slices of carrot, parsnip, or apple may be laid round the garden, spaced fairly evenly, but more closely near any place which is likely to harbour the pests. These serve as magnets and attract the pests, thus keeping them from turning their attention to the crops. Although this method in itself does not kill the pests, yet it is instrumental in bringing about their

destruction. Arsenate of Lead for Snails, by dipping the slices in a solution of arsenate of lead. The solution should not be too strong in case the pieces lose their sweetness and consequently their attraction. It is a question whether by this latter method the destruction of a greater number of pests is accomplished than is possible by the former. Certainly the use of the arsenic poison makes it less laborious, but there is a possibility that it may not prove as effective in the long run. The gardener should prove for himself that which is the better.

Some gardeners often go out searching for these enemies at night with a light. When the slugs and snails are out in search of food they may be discovered by means of the light and collected in a tin or some other suitable receptacle and killed at the end of the hunt. By this means many pests may be put out of the way once and for all. The task could be made much easier, if the slices of carrot, etc., be used to collect the enemies in groups. It might be noted that the pieces should be replaced with fresh ones when they become dried up.

A further method of attracting the pests into groups is to place small heaps of bran about the garden. On going out at night it -will be noticed that the slugs and snails have congregated around the heaps almost as well as they do around the carrot slices. They may then be killed by crushing them under foot or by dusting them with lime or superphosphate. Tho heaps may be dug under and fresh ones laid around.

There is one other point in connection with slugs that is worthy of mention. This is with regard to the socalled 11 tiger” slug, i.e., the very large slug, about 3in. in length when it is crawling, which is seen occasionally. Some gardeners declare that these slugs are useful and feed on the smaller species, and, when using lime, always collect the tiger slugs so that they will not be killed. In my experience, I have found the tiger slug on one occasion feeding on a plant. Of course there is the possibility that it was forced to feed on this food by circumstances. Every gardener might well conduct a simple experiment to ascertain whether the tiger slug is a nuisance or a friend. This can be done by placing one or two in a small box together with some small slugs and some green leaves. On observing which the tiger slugs choose for their food the gardener will know in what relation they stand to vegeculture, whether friend or foe.