Common Orchard Pests And Their Treatment

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7085, 6 December 1929, Page 5

Common Orchard Pests And Their Treatment

■LECTURE BY MR J. W. WHELAN

An instructive lantern lecture on common, orchard pests was delivered in tho Kosy hall last evening by the Government orchard instructor (Mr J. W. Whelan.) In his introductory remarks, Mr Whelan emphasised tho value of proper pruning as a means of opening up the centre of tho tree and allowing it to obtain the full benefit of air and sunshine.

Also a tree could not be thoroughly sprayed if its centre growth was allowed to become dense. It was in tho nooks and crevices that the fungi and insect pests lodged, and these were liable to escape the spray if they were sheltered by too much growth. It was useless to spray a tree unless overy pest was killed. In spraying attention should be paid to the season of the year and the use of the proper spray at the right time. Some people sprayed their trees as a matter of course without considering whether they would gain the greatest possible benefit from the operation. Another disadvantage of dense growth lay in the fact that it prevented the tree from drying out quickly after spraying. If a’ tree did not dry out quickly, a heavy infection’ of black spot was likely to result. It must bo romembered that Old Mother Earth was a great fertiliser and that all these pests bred and multiplied with great rapidity. They lay dormant until the warmth of spring but with tho first buds, orchardists should take up the war of extermination. To carry out tho work of spraying thoroughly, an up-to-date outfit was necessary, and • nowadays this was provided by a stationary pump circulating spray through a pipe system.

By the means of lantern slides, Mr Whelan then illustrated the activities of the codlin moth, pear slug, leaf roller, mussel’ scale and black spot, and pointed out the methods that should be taken to combat these different pests. Care should be taken to spray with fungicides for fungus pests and insecticides for insect pests.