SPRATIKG FOB THE CODLIN MOTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1967, 5 November 1891, Page 5

SPRATIKG FOB THE CODLIN MOTH.

In using Paris green and water of various strengths as a spray for the lai\se of the codlin moth it is always necessary to kaep the liquid very frequently stirred., _The reason for this is because the arsenic does not "dissolve," but -being a very fine powder, remains held in, buspepee in th 6 water, andVif not kept stirred would sink to thY bottom of the cask or tank containing' the mixture. Several 'orchardists in tfca North haVe baem of opinion that, this defect uxfigbt be .remedied vby dissolving the Paris green, and the addition ofjcaustio.soda has been proposed for the . purpose ; but the writer of this paper communicated the idea* to Professor Riley.the head of the United Statea Dhißion of Entomology, from whom he, has received the following answer :-i.: -i. ■-" !> ■ ' c "Various solutions, of arsenioalß.bava v beeuused in this country, but I am not sure that caustio.Boda has&een> tried., The result of .them., all has' been ib* Intensify'the action "pi the* poison upon the foliage of the plant without increasing its effect upon : the insoctrlt is, tBBB, :f not a desirable modification of the remedy. Tbfc -a'd.Bitiojft\of a'littlelufifto the^flqutttfr^fyr the ebom oniin^wafevmilky, bntanpt heavy enougbtb eloWtne nSzzn&plsof greatitdvantage 1 , because it renders the poison^ less injurious to the foliage, without diminishing i^aeflteqtp upon ; the insect. K~* • ''• 'It has bsen showri that' white arsenic when mixed with cold water is comparatively harmless to foliage ftwhen*used L in the right proportions), whereas if lt^ls" thoroughly dißßolved with boiling water, and subsequenfclylliluTeii; it'baTa'very injurious" effect. ' „ Aa the proper aeaaon for spraying is now approaching, the above information may be useful, coming an it does from so high an authority. It may also be as well to add that in the compaiatively cool olimateofOfcago the foliage of apple frees will not be so liable to' injury as in warmer countries, and. th'je' strength of from 150 gal to 18dgal of water to each pound of Paris green may not be too strong, provided it is used on a cool afternoon, or on dull days. The noon of a bright sunny day is not a favourable time for the use even of weak solutions, and is apt to cause burning of the leaves, which is always a greato iojury to the! Subsequent growth and condition of the fruit. A Bmall quantity of wheat flour very carefully Btirred-jn is also an improvement to the wash, beoaufeie it causes it to adhere better to the apple?. . • l'r-\~:*l*> In using fans green there are always certain points >to be bt-fne in mind to prevent any-dis appointments." The foliage of trees diff erß .very much in its degree of susceptibility to injnry. If lib of Paris green- 4o 160 gal of water ia-Cor^ reot far the. plum the same strength^ would do for the apple; lib to 200 gal would be strong enough for apricots, lib to 250#al for cherries, and lib to SOOgalfor peaches. There is also a considerable difference an .the susceptibility even of varieties of different kinda of fruit, antl the leaves of different'varietiea of apples (with! which -Iruit we have chiefly to do) differ in this respect ; but it is only by local- experiments we can arrive ajfcr.jthe exact strength to uee— and, it is beat,, to err, on the "side of weak aolutione, at all events at The proper time to spray is just when the frmc is fairly set and the. petals fallen off. No injury is likely to be done . to the fruit" if sprayed with a very =£ne 'spray _al little too * soon, but; the trees-are apt to be poißonedi" "If the remedy "ia delayed; too long the codlin moth larvea are apt to nave entered Ihe fruiiand be beyond^ their first danger from" the poison." The spray'sEould te -exceedingly light, just enough to thoroughly wet all the fruit and not drip off the tree. The way to get a very fine spray is to keep' the pump going sufficiently to force the fluid strongly against the exit holes of the cydlone nozzle, and not hold it too close to the fruit. If- these holes are countersunk so as to leave a sharp edge all round they will cut the spray up^muoh ifiner, but care must be taken nbt to enlarge them. Operators must not priidge going over the trees a few times during; th'& first of the season, bo as to (dress the different varieties just at the right stage, and it is very much better to give very light sprayings' and often (especially at first) than to drenoh all the" trees, whether they are ready for it or not, to save the trouble of going round them again. Experience " of- a great number of years has now taught us that Paris green is an infallible remedy, but it is absolutely necessary that it should be applied with both care and skill, and one must bear in mind in regulating the strength of the solutions that Paris green ia very often largely adulterated, and lib of one brand may mean one thing and lib of another brand another. This makes it the more necesBary to experiment before committing oneself to a particular strength for extensive operations. „„«». Entomologist, N.F. G. A., &o. Growing Flowers for Scent in Victoria. A Ministerial party recently viaited the Government scent farm near Dunolly in Victoria, and during the visit Mr Bosisto made some interesting remarks, from which we extract the following :— We are not, aa is generally supposed by

strangers, surrounded with bush .flowering plants, rich in colour, peooliar in appearance, bnt devoid of fragrance. Many may be so classified. We have a few woods, barks, leaves and flowers, resins and balsams containing aromas. Some may be said to be rioh and | rare—even in the eucalypti, few leaves of a tree excel the citridora of Queensland. How few aromas excel the wattles ..or the pittoßporum of Victoria, or the boronia of West Australia? From August to December the wattle varieties are in bloom, scattered over the colony, loading the air with their bouquet, and supplying flowers, not by the pound weight, but literally by the ton. Although the pittosporum undulatum in its forest home does not bear an abundance of flowers, yet under cultivation the tree becomes covered with bloßsoms. The boronia megestigma, whioh is a small shrub, supplies flowers abundantly under cultivation richly endowed with perfume. The musk tree (Earybia argophylla) so abundant in many parts of Victoria, supplies an otto durable in scent, frangipanni like. If oar people farmed these odoriferouß plants they would supply new perfumea for Europe and create an industry in which their young families oeuld flnd employment. The wattles grow of their own aooord everywhere. The pittosporum and mask could be planted around sections of land and the boronia cultivated in the garden or: by the apre. The necessary knowledge to treat- the parts of a plant for the Hoent product is certainly diversified, but is not beyond the reach of persoua^ot- ordinary-intejligenoe.r, The chief object fnvthe art ofjdbtaraing qdoura from .plants and.flowera is^onlfate'on'ihem.^rhen they are in a f reßh state and at the proper time of the day, particularly flowers ; in barks and leaves the 'perfume' risßidea only in cells. In the delicately constructed flowera ofttees!; 1 i the wattle the scent is lodged in wax on ' * top of the anthers with the pollen grains. Tbu opportunity that residents of the bush have to take up this br&nch of the industry is obvious. It requires but little attention, and is certainly of profit* '. %