Allotment Society

Fruit Expert at Rushden

How to get rid of the pests – Spraying demonstration

A spraying demonstration and lecture of great practical interest to allotment holders and fruit growers were given on Monday morning on the St. Crispin allotments, Wellingborough-road, Rushden, by Mr. F. Williams, County Council lecturer. A fair number of amateur gardeners were present and Mr. W. W. Rial, headmaster of the Alfred-street schools, attended with a class of boys.

Mr. Williams showed how, with the expenditure of a few pence, fruit trees could be protected against practically every form of pest, whether of the fungi or animal growth. In September or early October, he said, a grease band should be put round the trunk or main stem. That was to prevent the female winter moth creeping up into the branches to deposit its eggs. A month later all diseased wood should be cut away and burnt. Between December and February, once in three years the trees should be sprayed all over with lime-sulphur in the proportion of one part of the liquid (about 8d. a pint) to 15 of water. That had the effect of cleaning the tree and preventing the growth of fungi which stripped the tree’s supply of oxygen. If the tree was badly clogged or covered with fungi the spray should be of a solution of 1lb of caustic soda to five gallons of water.

Mr Williams said that the ordinary gardener had no need to be acquainted with the names of the scores of insect pests. They could be divided into two classes, namely, those which ate the leaves, and sucking insects which punctures the surface and sucked the sap. By the grease band, pruning, and lime-sulphur spray they could get rid of fungi pests. To rid the trees of insect pests they should be sprayed with a solution of ¼oz. Nicotine, ½lb of soft soap and ten gallons of water. That had the effect of poisoning the insects which ate the leaves. To destroy the sucking insects it was only necessary to spray them with a solution of ¼lb lead arsenate paste to five gallons of water.

The lecturer said that some gardeners would not believe in the efficacy of the sprays but they had only to take a few of the insects, put them in a box and give them the poisoned leaves to see how quickly they were killed.

Mr. Williams used several of the liquids on different trees, and pointed out that the whole of the tree or bush must be thoroughly treated with the spray. A hand-spray was good enough for a few trees, but with the knapsack kind, a whole row of trees could be sprayed in a few minutes.

A good number of questions were asked and satisfactorily answered.

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