Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-01
lone Gardeners and Fruits
Pests Must Be Eliminated by Sprays;
How and When Not to Use DOT Mixes
By w. H. Younemon

By w. H. Younemon
The home fruit gardener is often
bewildered by the many insect pests
which may affect his fruits. The
commercial grower Is always fight
ing one or more of them and the
small fruit grower needs to know
something about insect pests, If for
no other reason than to know those
which he must fight and why.
I The Japanese beetle is probably
running the codling moth a close
race as the No. i fruit pest. The
cooling moth has long been ma jor
tpest of apples. The moth stings the
fruit at almost any stage of growth
and the resulting worm ruins the
fruit. Heretofore the fruit grower
has attempted to keep his fruit
coated with lead arsenate so that
the moth would be killed when tax
ing bite out of the apple. Some
growers applied as many as 10 or
more sprays in order to keep a
protective coating on the growing
fruit. Today we use DOT for this
purpose and find that fewer sprays
will accomplish 1t. Fortunately the
DOT spray also fully cares for the
Japanese beetle which has become
such pest in the area, feeding on
| the foliage and the fruit.
| The apple borers, aat-headed and
fround-headed, are not serious pests
of healthy, vigorous, growing trees.
They may infest several kinds be-
isides the apple, probably the dog
wood most frequently Good cul-
tural practices and fertilization are
the best representatives..
DOT Gets Leaf Eaters.
The caterpillars and other leaf
eating insects, such as the tent
caterpillar, the Webworm and
others, have, in the past, been con-
trolled with either a. dust or spray
of arsenate of lead. However, the
DOT control for japanese beetles
will adequately take care of these
leaf eaters. There are q number
of aphidS which bother apples. The
tiny sucking insects suck the sapl
from the foliage and when there is
bad infestation may require an ap-
plication of nicotine sulphate. How
ever, in this area they are less apt
to be destructive than the Red mite
which is such common pest, espe- |
clally on our ornamentals. Like the
aphids, it can be controlled with the
nicotine sulphate, but sulphur is
more likely to be effective.
The last important group of in
sect pests affecting the apple are
the scale insects-San Jose, oyster
she'll and scurfy. These are best
controlled with a dormant spray in
the early spring before the leaves
appear. Of the three the oystershell
Is more likely to be present, as they
also feed on number of our COM
mon ornamentals.
A dormant spray just before the
buds open serves to control the
scale insects and some of the other
pests that winter over on the bark,
and it also helps to clean up many
disease spores so that it is really the
most important single spray. If al
second spray can be given it should
be the ''petal-fall" consisting of
lime sulphur and lead-arsenate, orr
dot and sulphur. Either one of
these will serve to head off the early
action OF the codling moth, as well
as Scab and other diseases. t
For the gardener with one or two
dwarf fruit trees it is quite likely
that q rose spray, especially one
containing the new fungicides-l
dlthiocarbamates, DOT and other
materials applied as recommended
for roses will give satisfactory re-
suits on apples.
Fewer Peach Pests.
Seemingly, there are fewer serious
insect pests of the peach than of
the apple. Probably the best known
insect pest of the peach tree is the
borer, worm that attacks trees of
all ages near the ground line. IN
less controlled borers can kill tree
The best known control is the Para
dichlorobenzine treatment in Au-E
gust. Spread a narrow band of the
crystals on the soil an inch or so
away from the trunk Cover with
soil, mounding toward the trunk.
Ethylene dichloride emulsion is even
better and more effective in cool
weather. The prepared emulsion
may be purchased. Follow the man
ufacturers directions.
"A second pest in this area Is, of
course, the Japanese beetle which
attacks both the foliage and the
fruit. DOT is the best answer. The
curculio is probably responsible for
most of the worms in peaches and
is not affected by DOT. Lead arse
nate, which can injure peach tree
| foliage unless used with lime, is still
| the best of the recommended con-
trolls. The Oriental peach moth is a
widespread pest that lays an egg in
the new growth, which soon Wits
and dies. Outside of injury to the
new shoots, it does no harm. How
ever, until the arrival of DOT there
was no control for them. Now the
same spray or dust that protests the
trees from the Jap beetle also con-
trolls the Oriental peach moth.
A dormant spray in the early
spring to control disease and scale
insects is just as important for
peaches as for apples. Following
the petal-fall dusts or sprays incor-
porating DOT with a fungicide
which will control brown rot should
give the peaches all of the protec-
ton needed against the common
pests except the curculio. busting
every week or two from the time the
fruit is set until mature Is almost
zzzzuuI - .