DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2130, 9 May 1889, Page 2

DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES.

The following, letter, over the slgoatara : of Mr E. F. Wright, appears m the "Praia" of Saturday :— lt la very amusing to read of the number of ourea for aphla and Mala , bag on the apple trees, one or two of them do get near the mark when they oaa whale oil aoap on account of the potaab that is In it, and whloh la beno&oUl to the tree, bat when one reads of Jttttle'* sheep dip and nearly every oil that !a lo the. market being applied, It ahowa that there la no consideration for what the tree Hvea and thrlvea on If It oould oboaae Ita own food. One thing la very certain a tree will thrive under a ooat of oil aa a ohlld would under a coat df tar. Where toe tree o»n get the food It requires, it la a large oonsomer of lime, as analyses by saoh obemlsts aa Freaeniaa, Fcomberg and othera aho* that the ash. of the apple tree oontaina 63.60 pec cent of lime and 19*21 of p^aab, ao that the lime besides a nataral food la it<Soir. also sots tho potash frer, whloh la looked up m tho soil. The ash of the oherry tree contains 4195 per oent of lime, and ao throogrh the whole list of fruit trees. The same authorities aay that the aah of the fratta on an average contains 50 per oent of potash and 20 per oent lime, With tbeae few faota before one it la very evident that Id the oootae of a tew yeara all the potash and lime whloh are available for any one frolt tree are exhauited, apd the tree beoomea weaker and weaker, till it dlea out ; It la m this weak atata that the dlaeasea Attack it, and then oat gardenera, professional and otherwlaß, begin giving it aaoh nostrums as castor oil, etc. Ood liver oil might do it more good. And I think that moat of the dlaeaaes of fralt trees will be foand to arise from poverty; no doabt aorae readers will aay, we mannre oar trees, bat If it Is not tho right aort of manure. It ia no use to,the tree.