Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-08-16
HORTICULTURAL CLEANLINESS.
(Bulletin Of Horticulturalist, State
College Of Agriculture.l


College Of Agriculture.)
Now that the end Of the various hor-
|ticultural crops for the season is az
hand, it is well to consider what should
be done in order to produce a 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 t.
tie of this bulletin will give US some
idea of the work in hand.
Many of our insects and diseases
are entirely dependent upon their con-
tinuance from year to year on neg-
lected orchards and uncleanly truck
patches. For instance, with the peach,
the curculio spends the winter in the
weeds and underbrush and in Other
unkempt spots, to come out early in
the spring and infest the young fruits.
The Harlequin, or striped cabbage bag
does the same thing, spending the
winter in old neglected corners.
patches and place of like character, be-
ing ever in readiness to feed upon the
growth Of cole crops that come on
later in the season. The codling moth,
that great pest of the apple tree, al
taches its cocoon to old roughened
bark around the apple trees, orspends
the winter under the hoops of apple
barrels and in apple cellars, TO allow
the adult to come out in the early
spring to lay her eggs on the little
frtn<y and so9n tie tiny worm bores
into the hearts of the young apples.
There are other insects which also
depend upon brush and rubbish anI
unplowed fields, to spend the winter
in peace. Also among the diseases,
We find them laying in wait during the
cold months at the very bases Of the
trees, and sometimes in the trees, so
as to be in readiness for tie coming
spring, and the development of the
fruits. Tie brown rot, that serious
peach disease, passes the winter in
mummied fruit hanging on the trees,
Or in decayed and dried up peaches
lying upon the ground, and other fun
gus diseases of various kinds spend
the winter in deadened and dried UP
fruits, in rough and cankered spots
upon the bark, and in dried, deadened
and sickly twigs.
With all these pests and diseases at
our very hands awaiting only for rhs|
proper time to rob us of our profit
and steal from US our crops, it is
necessary for the grower to be fore
handed, and strike them when they
are down, as it were. Every orchardist
who expects to raise a good crop Of
any kind of fruit next year. as soon
as the harvest is over should go into
the place, remove all the mummied
and dried up fungus infested fruits or
the trees, rake them into a pile ana
burn them All of the limbs and rub
bish around the orchard and garden
SHOULD be gotten together and de-
stroyed The bark of the old trees
that is ragged should be cleaned sc
that all alternating insects upon the
trunks can be killed
Around the garden it is a good plan
to play land in the fall if possible, or
in the early winter, so as to turn
under and expose to the cold the in
sects that are in the first few inches
Of the soil. Clean up in the orchard
and in the packing house, in the gar
den and cellar, and remove all rottin3
fruit and vegetation. If cleanliness
is closely looked after, the grower
goes into the winter in good snaps.
with few places for insects to hide,
with no fungus producing fruits on
the ground, it will take less spray
ing to protect the crop the following
season, and there will fewer chances
of infection, especially with the IN
sects, for when alternating broods are
destroyed the future generations are
greatly lessened.