Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-14
TO PRuIr-aRoWsRs.
Success over Insect Pests-Eew Feed
lings-Etc

and confirmed by the leading fruit-growe rs.
There will be full yield of some kinds of
fruit-even large yield-whiIe others
will be less, and some quite light, but upon
the whole an ordinary or average crop will
be marketed. The apricots were somewhat
injured, much of the earlier fruit being color
specked, but the Royal variety in the large
orchards along the river, in the vicinity of
CORTLAND and Walnut Grove, present
loaded trees of ripe fruit at the present
time, and much of which is fine. AS here
tofore stated, the late frosts killed nearly
all the fruit in the foothill country. above
about 900 feet altitude, but that section
does not yet yield a sufficient portion of
the general product of the State, nor the
shortage in other localities justify any such
unfavorable conclusion, or estimate of fail
ure, as that in which many of our contem-
poraries are INDUCING.
a new seeding apricot, propagated by o.
R. Runyan, of CORTLAND, gives promise of
becoming very desirable and popular va
riety. It came from pit of the More
park, is far higher colored and of finer
flavor than that variety, and a richer
golden color than the Royal Tits consider
ably larger than the latter, as compared
with the two growing side by side, of same
age and condition, and r;pens at the same
time. Il has high and delicate flavor,
compared with which the Royal is insipid.
Mr.. Runyan also has an excellent seeding
prune raised from pit of the small prune
D'Agen. The size is about the same as the
German prune, but it is not quite as long.
1t was ripe the first week in July this year,
making it one of the earliest varieties of
prunes. The faver is good, and it is
claimed that the fruit contains larger per
cent. of sugar than any other kind of
prunes yet before the public. This quality,
together with the early time of ripening,
will make it a valuable addition to present
varieties.
A peculiar disease, if it may be so
called, has made its appearance in some of
the peach orchards along the Sacramento
river, Of which little is known thus far as
to cause, and nothing in the way of rem
edy. In fact, it is question among the
orchardists, as yet, whether it is a disease
of the tree, the effect of some elemental
changes in the soil, or the work of an in
sect. Whatever it may be, the first sp-
pearance is the whitening of the leaves and
young fruit nearest the body in the lower
portion of the top of the tree, after the
fruit has formed in the early GUNNER and
grown to the size of third to half an inch
IN diameter. This portion of the leaves
and fruit soon drop off, leaving that part of
the top entirely without foliage. The next
year (this is the second season since it was
Oh ~ he 6 ~ L L
was thus affected the prior season does not
put forth any foliage or blossoms, and the
work OF destruction is repeated by the
leaves and fruit settings whitening another
distance still farther out from the center,
and leaving the lower limbs bare as if dead,
and no foliage upon the tree except upon
the outer and upper portion of the top.
Probably the third year will complete the
work and leave the tree entirely lifeless.
The effecGs of this new destructive agency
is thus far quite limited, but sufficient to
entitle it to full, prompt and careful inves.
tigation, for it is not single crop, but the
orchard itself which is at stake. From
the fset that the gum exudes in places
from the twigs from which the leaves have
thus withered and fallen, the damage is
attributed by some to the singing of an
insect, but this will probably be found to
be an error, as the blight, from whatever
cause, commences in such uniform manner
as to preclude this theory. An insect at
work at the roots of the tree is much more
probable. 1t would be very proper, how
ever, in Investigations concerning it, to as
certain whether it may not be produced
from the presence of alkali, forced up by
the sipage from the river, becoming higher
on account of the gradual raising of the
river bottom from continued deposits of
silt, CT from vitiated condition of plant
food in the soil. We shall be glad to re-
ceive results of any examinations upon the
subject, or of the observations and conclu.
sions of those who may have it upon their
premises.
SUCCESS AGAINST FRUIT PESTS.
W. Treat, manager of the Oak Shade
orchards, consisting of about $50 acres,
near Davisville, has had very successful re-
suits this season in his efforts against the
pests. There are upon this place about
twelve thousand pear trees, which the
sawfy tof which the Larvae is known as
the green worm), the codling moth and
pear slug injured quite severely last year,
and again commenced upon with full vigor
this spring. Mr.. Treat made and used the
following wash Thirty pounds whale oil
soap, ten pounds Havana tobacco stems,
ten pounds best sulphur, three pounds con-
centrated lye, to 100 gallons of water.
With this he began thoroughly spraying
the trees when the fruit was small, and
within two weeks sprayed the trees thor.
oughly three times. This placed and left
3D. al,
upon the fruit and leaves that the sawhy
and codling moth found no place accep.
table to deposit their eggs, and the result
is that both of these pests, and their entire
progeny, have disappeared from the
orchard, and it is believed that not
single wormy pear can be found.
The remedy thus applied was equally sue.
cessful with relation to the pear slug, none
of which can be found upon the trees so
treated, nor any trace of their work upon the
leaves. These certainly are remarkable
and reassuring results over three very dam
aging fruit and fruit-tree destroyers, and
all accomplished with the same remedy
applied at the same time.
The time to use the wash is before the
fruit is sufficiently large to bend the twigs,
for then the blossom end of the fruit
stands upright and catches the wash, re.
tanning the sulphur, etc, and makes this
favorits point of the fruit for depositing
the egg so strongly impregnated or coated
that the moth and fly avoid it with disgust.
Mr.. Treat did not, however, neglect the
use of the bands around the bodies OF the
trees, but used these, and had them
watched ss usual.
L. 1. Fish, of Martinez, reports also in
the Rural Press successful and interesting
experiments for the destruction OF the cod
ling moth by method comparatively new.
1t consists of euspending vessels containing
q mixture of vinegar, molasses and water
in the branches of the trees, as trap in
which to catch the moth as it flies in the
branches to deposit its eggs. He says:
tried it about six weeks since, and failed to
catch any and concluded it would not do but on
the Goth instant hung can In each Of % apple
and pear trees. On the morning Of the 21st l had
224 moths; on the 22d, ia; 23d, 70; oath, Ill;
25th 300; 10Th, 312; 9th, 1878, and this morning
24s, making 1,S2O moths in eight days, besides
quarts of other moths, flies, Yellow jackets, etc.
lii, has