The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-09
PEACHES,
SPRAYING TREES
Timely Information for the Vir-
GINA Peach7O rchardist-Crop
So Far Safe.

The bad weather for the past few
weeks has frightened the lovers OF
good Virginia grown fruit not a little.
Perhaps some of the early fruits have
been injured, but there will be lots of
peaches this year if no further damage
is done. and II the Virginia peach or
chardiSts will take proper care OF theil
trees from now on. / have received a
bulletin from the Auburn. Ala, station.
down where the folks know SO well
how to ms Ike good peaches, which may
be of some value to the Virginia peach
W The bulletin treats Of how
10 protect peaches from Il lum Cur
culio" and brown rot. 1t says:
Sew people have escaped the expert
ence Of biting into wormy fruit. The
disagreeable little white grub is really
one stage in the life OF the most in
furious species of insect attacking
peaches plums in the South. Its
parent is one of the weevils or snout
beetles, Of which there are nlany nun.
dreds Of species, among them the Next
can cotton boil wcevil.
Many people call this insect Little
Turk because OF the crescent-Shupc
scars made in fruit wbere it deposits
its eggs. 1t is commonly known as the
plum Curculio." IT is only about onc-
fifth OF an inch long, nearly black in
! Z IL .I- F.. uldl E. " liIG
patches of scales. 1t is found every
where from Canada TO the Gulf, Aside
from its direct injury to the fruit. this
insect is the most important single fac
tor in spreading brown rot which
often destroys u large part Of the crop
Just before II ripens. Within recent
years it has been found that both tho
curculio ana the brown rot may be
controlled almost entirely by a system
OF spraying.
The Old Why.
Until within the last few Wears. or
chardists have done but little toward
controlling this pest. The most COM
mon method of control has been to jar
the beetles from the trees during the
early morning hours. catching them
upon sheets stretched on wooden frames
an0 held beneath the trees. This has
been an expensive and unsa tisfactory
method, securing only partial control.
Within the past three or four Years it
has been found that these beetles may
be Kept away by spra ying the peach
trees with an arSenlcal poison two or
three times during the carly part OF
the fruitinS season. Neutral n~rsenate
of lead Is about the My poison that
can be used with safety on peach foil
age. Extensive experiments indicate
that the beetles do not eat this poison.
but rather that it acts us a repeIlant.
49, NV 'IVNiSS - iIiulchtditlS ltdNG
poisoned trees.
The New Way.
Tie most economical and effective
| practice is as follows:
Within ten days after the period Of
full bloom. spray the trees thoroughly
with a solution OF TWO pounds or ncu-
trail arscnatc of lead, with three pounds
Of freshly Stacked limo, in o barrel OF
water. After about ten or twelve DAYS.
give a second spraying, this time using
Two pounds OF arsenate OF lead in each
barrel of self boiled lime sulphur. so.
luton Directions for preparing this
solution are given in bulletin No. loo
Of the -Nabama Experiment station.
which will be sent free to ali appli-
cants. The lime sulphur treatment is
used because ii is very effective in pre-
venting the brown rot. BY using the
arsenatc of lead and the sclt-boiled
lime sulphur together in this way one
spraying is saved. and unless consider
able numbers of the insects come into
the orchard from outside sources no
further treatment will usually be need
ed. If there is evidence Of further wee
vii work. Il third spraying may be
given in about tWo weeks. using tho
same materials as in tic second.