Orchards Attacked

Horowhenua Chronicle, 12 April 1910, Page 3

Orchards Attacked

- - fy-* — -• SIM! I] AI) 01-' THM CODLI.X .MOTH. Lite ra\aees oi the codlin inotli this season have filled orchardlst.s uitli alarm, .and Irom all parti come reports ol blighted crops due to the pies .Mice of the moth. The present season has been one of the Wwr.s; yet experienced, and unless the tumble is dealt with promptly and elleerually the fruit industry ol Canterbiiiy will sustain a shock iToiii w hicli it will take years to recover. ihe Horowhe.nua County. 100, has been set h;iek poniohiij;-ic-'.lly tiiroimli the .sani'j cause. ■ 11>el Iii:!u: can lie done now to check the |lest lor next season, hut tiie chiel work", that ol sprayinu;. "ill have, to be carried out Inter "ii, when the new fruit- is hei titc jarmed. Au eminent fruit authority to wdiem a ■"Press" represenla'!n' applied lor information, stated that what owners of fruit trees -dioiild do now was to destroy any moth in apples, pears and quinces bv lon nil,-' or boiliin;- the fruit, or by deeply burying it. It was also a vise precaution ilurinif the winter months to sr-rape off Iocs? hark i roni the. fruit trees themselves, and Irom trees comprising shelter belts, such as pinus iusiyuus. If bandages have be"ii applied to the trees i hese should be removed and destroyed. to net rid of any jj;ru'').s that may be harbourim; in the bandages. I'ndoubtedly the best method of treatment for codlin moth was .spraying with Swift's .arsenate of lead. Spraying should commence just as soon a.s the fruit was properly set. a<iid for a season or two, in districts where infection was prevalent, .should lie continued at intervals of from fifteen to seventeen days, .at any rate, until the. early part of March in the ca.se of late-ripciiine- varieties. If e'eneral action was taken for the control of the moth throughout the district, infection would diminish steadily si.a.-an bv season, anil with diminished infection the number of sprayiir/s could be reduced until eventually two or three flt the outside would .suffice lor the season's work, and would still keep the moth veil under control. ft was most important. that those measures for the control of the moth should bo followed by everybody owning apple, pear, or quince trees; for the neglect of a lew iu a district, would seiiou-dv hamper the efficacy of the work of oth'Ts. . Kxperience had shown tint fliers were two heavy T'lhts of moth which it. was ueees--airy t'i anticipate. The one hatched out about the middle of January, and the second about the middle of February, and for that reason it was especially necessary that spraying should iM;t be discontinued too earlv. fn addition to the earlier orav 11es, growers should spray I In,roughly, if possible, early in the fv-ond week of each of these months. The moth eoulrl be easily controlled by the lead-sprayiu.'j; without, any '/real expense beini incurred, and the benefits resulting would be iuTn leaflet published bv the Ag-r;;-'iHural Department. t|m hdlow/liiectious are recommended In 1 'ieil in r c with the. m; tli :—f se IJIb Se.ift's arsenate of lead to of) gallons watiu-. Coinmenco sprayins i-, ; ei as- the frnifc ha« set. and c:c,* inir.' at intervals ol lo to 17 davs. On nceount of the prevalence of apnle nnd lvar s/jab. it is adv-etble to add IMb arsenate, of had to the summer formula of the Bordeaux mixture for the first erne or two spravines, following with the arsenate of lead and water alone as s-am as warm, dry weather sets in.