The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1910-08-12
BEGIN WARFARE NOW
ON ORCHARD INSECTS.
SO says Agricultural College
Bulletin on "Horticul-
tural Cleanliness"
STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE.

HENS, VA
Now that he end Of the various hor-
tlcultural crops for the season is at
hand, it is we'll to consider what should
be done in order to produce good crop
next season. Now is the time to begin
on next years success. Work may be
done at this period of the year that will
greatly facilitate the handling of the
coming crop. The title of this bulle-
tin will give us some idea of the work
in hand
Many of our diseases and insects are
almost entirely dependent upon their
continuance from year to year on neg
lected orchards and uncleanlv truck
patches. For instance, with the peach,
the curculio spends the winter in weeds
and underbrush and in other like IN
kempt spots, to come out early in the
spring and lnfest the young fruits. The
Harlequin, or striped cabbage bug
does the same thing, spending the
winter IN old neglected corners, patches
and places of like character, being ever
III readiness to feed uEon the growth of
such crops that come. on later in the
season. The codling moth, that great
pest OF the apple, attaches its cocoon to
old roughsned bark around the apple
tree, or spends the winter under the
the hoops of apple barrels and in apple
cellars, to allow the adult coming out in
the early spring to lay her eggs on the
little fruit, and soon thu tinv worm
bores into the hearts of the Young
apples.
There are other insects which also de-
pend upon brush aud rubbish and I'M
plowed fields, to spend the winter in
peace. Also among the diseases, we
ind them laying in wait during the
cold months at the very bases of our
trees, and sometimes in the trees, so
as to be in readiness for the coming of
spring, and the development of the
fruits The brown rot, that serious
peach disease, passes the winter in
mummied fruit hanging on the trees, or
IN decayed and dried up peaches LAYING
upon the ground, the other fungus dis
eases of various kinds spend the winter
III deadened and dried up fruits, in
rough and cankered spots upon the
bark, and in dried, deadened and sicklv
twigs.
With all these pests and diseases at
our very hands awaiting only for the
proper time to rob us Of our profit, and
steal from us our crops, it is necessary
tor the grower to be forehanded, and
strike them when they are down as il
were. Every orchardist who expects tc
raise good crop of airy kind of fruit
next year, as soon as the harvest is over
should go into the place, remove all oil
the mummied and dried up fungus in.
tested fruits on the trees, rake them
into pile and burn them. All of the
limbs and rubbish around the orchard
and garden should be gotten together
and destroyed. The bark of the old
trees that is ragged should be cleaned
so that all hybernating insects upon the
trunks can be killed
Around the garden it is a good plan
to pillow land in the fall if possible, or
IN the early winter, so as to turn under
and expose to the cold, the insects that
are i'll the first few inches of the soil.
Clean up in the orchard and in the
packing house, in the garden and cellar,
and remove all rotting fruit and vege-
tatlon. If cleanliness is closely looked
after, and the grower goes into the
winter in good shape, with few places
for insects to hide, with no fungus
producing fruits on the ground, it will
take less spraying to protect the crop
the following season, and there will be
fewer chances of infection, especially
with the insects, for when hybernatinp
broods are destroyed, the future gen
erations are greatly lessened
I. h. Hatton, Horticulturist.