Correspondence.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 31, 5 August 1897, Page 2

Correspondence.

ORCHARDS. (TO THE EDITOR.) Sir, — I quite agree with my friend Mr Holden when be says it is of public interest to disenss the keeping of orchards and gardens free from insect pests. He recommends tbe use of a lime, salt aod sulphur mixture. This is an antiquated remedy, but even so, it ii tbe best of the remedies on tbe Government list. Now what are the results of this so-called remedy ? Scale {mytilapsis pomovum) is on the increase in the United States of America, the Australian colonies, and last, but oot of least interest to us, in New Zealand, and this notwithstanding that this so-called remedy has been used by thousands of fruit growers. Lime used a!ono scattered over the ground is a valuable help to fruit trees and tends to check wooUy aphis— in the ground— and also root fuugus. Sulphur used alone is a good remedy for oidium on grapes, bnt otherwise sulphur has neither a good nor a bad effect on the generality of fruit trees. Sulphur and lime when used hot as recommended by tbe Government, and applied to the trees when these two substances are combining chemically to form sulphate of lime— gypsum— have a very injurious effect on trees. I saw a few weeks ago a fine large apple tree ,at Awahuri, to which this dangerous compound bad been applied to kill scale. The bark of the large bole was seriously injured, and woolly aphis bad commenced to attack tbe tree in the injured parts. Previously the tree bad been free from woolly aphis. I will give Mr Holden tbe name of the proprietor of tbe tree and be oan examine it for himself. Again I have examined two orchards, one on the Feilding-Ashurst road and one ou the Taonui road, both near Colvtou. The trees of both tbeso orchards were dressed last winter with the lime, salt and sulphur- so called-remedy for scale, and not one-tenth of the scale were destroyed, but in both cases tbe trees were injured. I will give Mr Holden the names, privately. I am, &c., George Wilks. Feilding, 4th August, 1807.