A USEFUL WASH FOR FRUIT TREES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8487, 11 February 1891, Page 3

A USEFUL WASH FOR FRUIT TREES.

» •Captain J. W. Herkold, Remuera,. writes .as follows on a subject of interest to,all .fruit-growers in the North Island. Ho .says:—"The following may prove useful: and interesting to some of your readersIn your issue of the 30th November, 1888' you published the following article on the destruction of the codlin moth :—' In res gard to Paris green or London purple foe the codlin moth the Melbourne Leaden says: There is no necessity for incurring the expense of Paris green or London purple. It is the arsenic in these substances that poisons, and pure arsenic can be bought cheaper and used with as good effect. Eight ounces is sufficient for 400< gallons of water, if thoroughly dissolved. This can be accomplished by - adding so me alkali, such as concentrated lyelib to 400 gallons of water. This makes a colourless solution, and as such, must be used with * care. Ib can be sprayed over the trees with a spraying machine.' On trial I found ib far too strong, scorching the leaves, and causing the fruit to fall. In 1888 1 used ib again at the rate of 1000 gallons of water, and still found it too strong. This season I have used it in the proportion of 1200 gallons of water, and am much pleased and satisfied at results, leaving only three or four per cent, of my apple 3 infected. My recipe is :—Dissolve lib of arsenic in a like quantity of caustic potash liquified, using a little colouring matter, and labelling it) ' Poison' to prevent accidents. Thoroughly , mix with water (1200 gallons), and spray ' the trees all over, about every three weeks, in the cool of the evening, from the time the fruit is the size of small marbles till three-parts grown. Instead of bandages round the bole of the trees to catch tha worms, I give them a good coat of oil, well mixed with a little Stockholm tar, about 18 inches high, to prevent the insects era ing up ; ' the birds and chicks devour them on the ground. If insecticides such as this are generally used I have no doubt we will exterminate this and other pests. I may add that in winter I syringe my trees with a solution of lime and sulphurproportion one of sulphur to twenty of —and they are very clean, and quite free from .-.fungus."