ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13778, 17 June 1908, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

. ' ORCHARD SPRAYING, it MTI.« ' ' ,■■>■•■ -^ ■■' INSECT ~ANB I"t:,\*CrOlD .REMEDIES, '■ '■'" ':■■■■'" ' '■''' ■*T RATA. ; ' , It m a remar tiling" that the quwtiOft; of spraying fruit (trees ss a means of .eradieating, or at least redwing,-"'the Tttimirjsijjjt ■; fungoid diseases, ».nd »* *' mean* of centers*!- •; ■ ids against, the ravages of.*»rion*- ins«* ; '- : ; pests* should ever b* * delwiahie one Nor j ■far if," strictly'. speaking, and takon trorrt. "k j severely practical point of view..;-. But. ■-»!*. j though the ranks of. UwjLunbelwvart*; *r» ; -'f&&- . ting thinner year by 'yew. fhera still, remain, and probably always will luff,• a *tn*H number of orrhardisl*-who try to evado li» law. and. at tls« sarin? J imt.v'Jhrir..,. ©TO .heist" interests by neglecting ; tfc<! «.« of the «pr*y pump. ..:, ... ... ■ " ' ■.' " About f-even years ago -Mr.- Boucher, HMI well-known poraologift, in eonveriitton' yritl» ■ the writer,'mentioned thai ..only powiblw way to bring';'too fruitgrowing • ittt**' a- satisfactory condition tnu to take .»trCtn>f legal- tnefts»t« .to compel 'the ' grower*': .to''■ keep their orchards free from'.««#*»; ; .ftttfi blights by tpraying, unci, foe '■aid. "in te» years" time you will find thai the grower will spray thoroughly and regularly, not b*<cause he is compelled by law to do so, but because by that lirutj ho will know what ... ». solid. benefit'.'.it is -for aim to .do it," Certainly his prophecy is'on a fair, road for; fulfilment., Tho :. increase • in,., the -sale , of. fungicides, insecticides,' etc., alone will prov*» this, to »ay nothing of ..the enthusiastic ,;«tpport of the system by iho growers • - thornsolves, • ■ ' - " ■ : 'Generally 1 speaking, .'it,."'i* bird to find in orchard»Bt who will absolutely deny the vidua of spraying, but occasionally a grower may :- be found, who through lack of the requisite knowledge and' skill has made tip MS ineffective, or perhaps .even injurious mixture, and by using it on hi* trees has* done positively no good and perhaps a little harm, , hence his doubts as to the benefits of spray-, ing. Again, there are some who argue that it is all. very well for the Government ft* enforce an Act which is to compel growers . to keep their orchards free from pests, whom at the same time their own expert* with financial and labour condition* in their favour cannot positively prove their ability to eradicate certain pests. Such, arguments, however, are not worth consideration, as they are mainly baaed upon prejudice and may. bo passed by with the comment, "abuse is y not argument." * "" -'* Most commercial fruitgrower* ore much encouraged with the result* of systematic spraying, and the prices they are now able 1 to get for the clean.fruit they can market, and many are extending their orchards, •'? Now that it is becoming recognised that the various orchard pests can be success*.. fully controlled fruitgrowing is receiving .» great deal of attention, particularly tho up*pie and tho pear. • By tho. use of dispnrono or arsenate of lend splendid results have been derived, Htnl; by careful and thorough spraying moth infection has been reduced to next to nothing. In some young orchards of smooth-barked trees no more than one percent, of-infected fruit exists, while in older orchards tho; infection does not exceed 5 per cent. ; To attain success the grower must make a. point of studying the subject of spraying in all it* details, .so that ho may •combat against the different posts in an intelligent manner. Effectiveness in spraying .is -j only ; gained by doing tho work at just the rig time. A strong man with a good pump may easily distribute a barrelful of spray-wash over a large number of trees in a very short lime; but if he does it at the' wrong time : he would bo bettor employed in chopping : firewood. No hard and fast ; rules can be laid down as to when spraying should be commenced, and at what, intervals it should be continued, for the periods when -first infection will take place will vary according :> to tho climatic conditions of., each season,; and tho degree of infection and the difficulty . of controlling it will also vary. >.'. Tho. Bordeaux » mixture is a most useful spray-wash in a- mixed orchard, and in dp • ■ 4-4-40 strength may be (safely used on foliage. It may be used much stronger when the tree* are in a dormant state, as strong, as- lOlhi of lime and 101b of Milestone (sulphate of copper) to 40 gallons of .water- to kill spores ; ' of fungi on tho -bark. This* is "very successful , in preventing leaf-curl bit, the pouch, shot-; hole on the plum and apricot, scab on the ■ apple and pear, and rust on the prune, ore. It should be followed by a weaker solution in the summer as. early sis indications of tho, disease may appear. la spraying for the apple and pear scab the addition of lib of Paris groen to each. 150 gallons of the Bordeaux mixture makes the application answer also for the codlin moth. .'. , Paris green is an excellent preparation for : controlling biting trisects, but there-are two objections against its* use, its liability to cause '.scorching of the foliage and the en so with which it is washed off, even by th« action of light rains. > ' • Tho use of arsenate of lead is now in high favour, and there is no "doubt;"' in many ways it is far superior to Paris green. It is almost completely insoluble, and therefore law little or no burning .action, even when applied in b more or less concentrated form. Its toxic action on insect life is considerably ; greater and it possesses more adhesive qualities than Paris green. Single strength arsenate of lead consists of loz arsenate of soda, '6oz acetate of lead (<> 16 gallons of water. Ton times thii strength may be uwd without injury, but, of course, such a strength is unnecessary. Ready-made arsenate of lead, or disparene, is commonly used, as it is more convenient: for moit orchardisls to boy it than to main it. Tlio following are the directions for making large quantities:— of lead, ' 12ox: ' arsenate of .soda,• bin; water, 50 gallons, • Pour the acetate of lead into two quarts of water and the arsenate. 'C* soda, into another two quarts; then pour diem two solu- ; ions together into tho 'tank of water. : Th*f- • result of this is >" white precipitate of arsenate of lead. Each lOoz of„ar.-«nato of soda ■ make lib of arsenate of lead. Pure chemicals should always be used. '■'•-■,' A large majority of fruitgrowers are making their spraying outfits on© of their first considerations, for it is now'an established fact that spraying, properly carried out, leads to cleaner crops, better prices, and,; consequently, bigger profit!!. BREVITIES. > -\ An English journal says there cannot b» a doubt about the future of the loganberry as a fruit for tarts and as a fruit for pre. serving. In the latter direction there is, indeed, a great'future before it. j School gardens afford exercise to all the • j muscles under healthful conditions, and t stimulate the children, and I thereby\sthetr, parents-to prefer beautiful natural surround-' ' nigs,', and to' appreciate the practical values - of -the vegetable. : .. All the old stems should be out away from the asparagus beds now, and seedling* should be pulled out;- or they will ;intereferqi.TwiiC the cropping of tho old pkmU. A mulching "of well-rotted manure will benefit the roots, and thus increase the spring crops.' The largest tomato plantation in England is situated under the north-west spur *of .'■■", CoLswald=, on the main road from Strat- " i'ord-on-Avon' to Cheltenham.' The farm ' covers'3<3 acres, and about 380,000 plants'" are under cultivation. ', ;. ■~ .;,;., ~ . -lli>>v can a farmer know whether his laud require* to be limed* Ho' can make- a, rough test in the following way:—Put a sample of the soil of a, field on a plate, make it into a powder,, and 'ben. pour a little. hydrochloric acid (obtainable from any chemist) upon it. If the f .ml effervesce* freely that u an indication that the soil , is not poor in lime; if, on the other hand, there is little or no effervescence, it is* sign that there is a deficiency in lime*