The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-01-25
BURN PEACH CURCULI0
BEFORE BUDS SWELL
u. S. PEACH INSECT LABORA-
TORY GIVES GEORGIA GROW
Frs TIMELY ADVICE.

Unfavorable weather conditions
have been the cause for very little
burning and cleaning up of woodlands,
brush and other alternating places for
curculios adjoining and near peach or
chards, Frequent rains during the win
ter months have kept the vegetation
and underground near orchards damp
so that it would not burn properly,
and, furthermore, to date very little
cold weather has occurred to prop
erly kill out under vegetation. This
burning over of all alternating places
adjoining and near orchards to destroy
1.-THE adult curculios which would make
the 1921 peach crop wormy must take
place before the buds normally start
! to swell, as the beetles will forsake
their winter alternating places for the
! trees at the first signs of the putting
out OF foliage. The time for this burn
ing is getting short, and growers
should now take advantage of the first
dry weather to burn over all wood
and waste lands, terrace and fence
rows, rubbish, pruning piles and any
other place near the orchard which
might serve as alternating quarters
for the beetles
| Orchardists are cautioned to have
sufficient supervision present during
this burning to prevent damage to
property, fences, telephone and tele-
graph poles, etc. The thoroughness
with which this burning is done will
greatly influence the amount of worm
4 mess in the 1921 peach crop. Burning
is not recommended in the orchard
around trees, but all alternating quar-
tiers in the orchard should be destroy
ed by cleaning up and turning under
! the vegetation.
| Agents of the United States depart
ment of agriculture attached to the
Fort Valley station have found hiber-
mating curculios both in and near
peach orchards, very often being
found at the base of mass OF grass.
Many other beetles have been receiv-
ed at the laboratory from growers
over the peach belt who have mistaken
them for curculios, when in reality
they were closely related species feed
ing on peas, or other forage plants.
Nevertheless, indications are that the
peach curculios are alternating in and
near orchards in great numbers, and
will undoubtedly cause a great deal OF
worminess to the present peach crop
unless they are destroyed during the
winter by the methods suggested. A
word to the wise here should be suf-
ficient
Orchardists are again reminded of
the advantages of opening up the CEN
tiers of the trees during the pruning
operation and avoid leaving the 1aterals
and secondary branches too thick.
This will permit of much better job
of spraying, and the proper air cir
culation and sunlight can be obtained
which is so necessary for coloring,
etc. We must prevent any kind of de-
ciduous fruit trees from overbearing,
and cause it to produce uniform fruit.
This can only be done through proper
and intelligent pruning.
In spraying whether it be for scale
or during the growing season a much
more thorough job can be done if each
tree is finished before starting anoth-
err. A negro laborer can always see
how much of tree is covered when it
is wet with spray, and he will conse-
quently keep spraying until all por-
| tionS of the tree are wet. This is not
| the case when one half of the tree is
sprayed at one time and then finished
when the sprayer returns in the next
row. When this method is practiced
the material on the part of the tree
that has been sprayed at one time is
not always dry enough when the out
| fit returns in the next row to finish
the tree to see just how much of the
trees has been covered and in this
| way portions are often completely
missed. Spray each tree thoroughly
! from all sides and finish it before
! moving forward to another.
| In order to handle the curculio and
brown rot problem this year it is 60
| ing to be necessary to do more spray
| ing and busting than formerly, and it
must be done more thoroughly. The
| efficiency of controlling insects and
diseases by spraying or busting de-
ponds primarily ON the ability to ap-
| ply the chemicals at the right time
1t is therefore very essential to COM
plete each application in a few days.
If the time of application is set for
certain time the orchardist should be
able to get over his entire acreage in
| less than a week to obtain successful
results. A great many growers in
the Georgia peach belt need more
spraying and busting outfits to handle
their orchards. Their paintings are en-
tirely too large to be handled with the
spraying or busting equipment here
tofore used. This matter should be
given serious consideration by all or
chardists, and preparations made to
have sufficient spraying and busting
machinery available to get over the
orchards in a few days A vigorous
fight must be employed this year if
we wish to produce peach crops and
we wish to produce a peach crop and
damage in face of the abnormal pests
conditions which now exist in the
Georgia peach belt U. S. PEACH
INSECT LABORATORY, Fort Val
| ley, Georgia.