FRUIT PESTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6861, 3 July 1909, Page 3

FRUIT PESTS

ADVICE OF AN AUTHORITY. Spraying is now recognised as the only effective means of dealing with fruit pests, but tliere is spraying and spraying, and in this matter there is too great a tendency on the part of growers to try new-fangled preparations which do not possess the proof of success in practioa to warrant their use. It is gratifying, therefore, to know thait ilawke's Bay growers secured an address on this important subject from an undoubted authority in iUr W. A. Boucher, North island nomologist. Mr Boucher's views may be summarised as follow :

He favoured the lime, salt and sulphur epray for scale if used at the proper Itime. If used at the present time and not again later it would be useless, but if used again later it would have very good' results. He advised growers to be vary careful in using oil sprays—in fact, he would advise them only to experiment with them at first. Oil sprays choked the trees, but that was usually not noticed until two or three seasons had elapsed; and it would eventually kill the trees. When using oil sprays in California, the growers built a mound of earth round each tree before spraying. The earth caught the drippings, and was afterwards removed, as the presence of the oil in the ground would be detrimental to the trees. He pointed out these sprays did more harm m cold climates, aB the hotter the climate the quicker the oil evaporated. He spoke very much in favour of Swift's arsenate of lead, which was the best composition he knew of. He mentioned

a case in which a man sprayed with Swift's arsenate of lead, and immediately afterwards rain fell for twenty-four hours, but did not afiecit the results in any way, the spray being just as effective as when used when there was no rain. For dealing with silver blight, he recommended sulphate of ammonia, to be applied in the early part of the season, 4lb to large trees and 21b to small (trees.