THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13510, 2 July 1914, Page 3

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

, T ORCHARD NOTES

Advantage should be taken during the month of July of any favourable opportunities that may occur for spraying for the control of various orchard pests and diseases. This is recommended especially when the red oil is to be used for the control of mussel scale, red spider, and mealy bug. One or another, or perhaps all three, pests are to be found-in many orchards, and no effort should be spared to keep them well in check. In this connection it may be as well to point out that only well-tested and reliable sprayingcompounds should be used.

In come localities canker has recently been causing considerable trouble and anxiety to orchardists, . some varieties of apples especially being subject to severe injury. Special attention should be devoted to any outbreak of canker. Every portion of the affected wood should be carefully cut away care being taken to prune back to healthy wood that shows no trace of in* fection. All diseased prunings should be carefully gathered and burned, and the trees sprayed in due course with the Bordeaux mixture (winter strength).

In order to-avoid unnecessary pressure of work later on in the season, the orchardist should avail himself of such opportunities as may occur for pruning his trees. In the case of the commercial grower, this important operation usually receives the attention, that it deserves, but the domestic grower not infrequently leaves trees untouched season after season until they become oversized for convenience, economy, and effectiveness in spraying, and overcrowded with useless limbs ; Complaint is then made of the difficulty experienced in producing fruit free from pest and disease. Growers will have noticed that in many localities the buds of Japanese plums will be almost open before the end of July. It is therefore advisable that as a preventive against plumpocket the trees should be sprayed before the buds are too advanced with the Bordeaux mixture (winter strength). With regard to the early opening of the buds, the remarks already made in connection with Japanese plums apply also to the gooseberry. Leaf-spot has at times caused serious loss to growers, and for this reason the plants should be protected against attacks by the application of the Bordeaux mixture (winter strength).

In some of the lighter soils throughout the Dominion apples, plums, and gooseberries more particularly are subject to attack by root-fungus. This disease, operating below the soil-sur-face, will frequently not be discovered until the trees are fatally injured. In soils subject to root-fungus growers are recommended to take precautionary measures by applying early in spring a soil-dressing of sulphate of iron.— Journal of Agriculture.