SPRAYING OF FRUIT TREES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2049, 1 November 1919, Page 2

SPRAYING OF FRUIT TREES.

The orclmrdist to-day has to contend with many diseases in order to grow fruit successfully. In mai\y cases the grower has no knowledge of the proper spray to apply for any particular disease, and frequently uses a spray that is of no use whatsoever in combating the particular disease he is trying to eradicate. On the other hand, wo have the grower who has neither lime nor inclination, to take adequate steps to control disease. Old neglected fruit trees are not only, unprofitable and unsightly, but become a menace to the grower Avho is striving to combatdisease, and produce clean, healthy fruit either for his home, or from a commercial point of view. As a guide to disease control we will divide the diseases affecting fruit trees into three groups—chewing insects, sucking insects, and

fungi. As chewing insects obtain their I food direct from the fruit or foliage of the trees, it is necessary to v control these pests with a poisonous compound; for this purpose use arsenate of lead at a strength of 3Jhs. paste, or 2lbs. powder, to 100 gallons of water. For the control of codlin moth we not only advocate, but stress the importance of applying arsenate of lead immediately the petals have fallen and before the calyx has closed. This we term (he calyti spraying, and it is by far the most important application of the season. By checking (he first brood (calyx appli) it prevents the second and third broods from coming into existence, and thus automatically reduces late infestation. ■ Subsequent applications must be applied about every 21 days throughout the season.

Sucking insects obtain their food by penetrating the tissues with their rostrums (beaks), so that poison applied on the surface of the plant would be.of little avail in checking them. For control of these pests it is necessary to use a spray that will kill by asphyxiation, or by contact. Rod oil is therefore (he best spray for the following 1 insects : —Woolly aphis, green aphis, scales, red mite, and mealy bug. Apply in dormant season on apples and pears, using red oil —1-12; on stone fruits 1-15, As an early summer control for wolly aphis use a soap solution on black .leal; 10 1-800, ashling 11b. .soap to 100 gallons of water. Probably the most serious of all are the fungus diseases, so that thorough spraying is necessary in order to combat them successfully. For the control of brown rot, powdery mildew, black spot, pear scale, peach curl, etc., use 81(5-40 when buds commence to swell; again in (he cnlster hud (or pink) with Bordeaux (i 1-50, and once again when fruit has set, Bordeaux 3-1-10. The lirst application, Bordeaux S-G-10, should never be neglected, as it prevents the spores from germinating. Great care should be taken to spray thoroughly with a line nozzle and sullicient force to drive the mixture into all corners and crevices. For subsequent spraying throughout the season, lime sulphur may be used, 1-12, combined with arsenate of lead, and black leaf 10. The above is supplied by Mr J. W. Whelan, Government Orchard Instructor, who will be pleased to give further information to growers in order to assist them in combating diseases attacking fruit.