Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/234

 Orange trees are often subject to smut or scale, for the former a simple remedy is a wash made of lime or wood ashes. Mix a quantity with water, let it be pretty thick, and pour over the young trees. It will dry on the leaves, and the first shower will wash it and the smut off together; if very bad repeat the treatment. For scale on the young trees make an emulsion of soft soap and kerosene, as follows: Put about a quart of soft soap into a gallon or a little more of water—an old kerosene tin is a good thing to hold it. Put over the fire, and just as it comes the boil stir in a pint of kerosene; let it boil for a couple of minutes and remove from the fire, when cold, wash the trees with it.

I have seen scale on shrubs and on rose trees treated with a wash made of kerosene and water—eight or nine tablespoonfuls to a gallon of water, well stirred and poured over the plants. Another emulsion for trees is made of kerosene and milk, diluted with water.

All fruit trees require care and attention for the first few years, after then they can get on without much looking after, save just at pruning time and when first beginning to bear. It is not advisable to let a young tree bear too heavily, it weakens them and often spoils them for after years. Peach and nectarine trees are specially given to heavy crops when quite young. Much of the fruit should be knocked off soon after it has formed. All heavily laden trees must be supported where necessary, or branches may break, or if storms are frequent the whole tree may go.



HIS is a process that needs some little experience to carry out successfully. It is all very well for me to write out the directions here, to give every detail even, unless you can see it done, or unless you can practise doing it yourself, you will not make a success of budding a fruit tree.

When I was shown how to do it, it happened to be just the time for budding, and it was also a capital season for the work, being warm, yet showery—regular growing weather. I was shown on a rose, and by the end of that season I may tell you there was not a rose tree within a radius of three or four miles which had not budded upon some other variety. I budded everything buddable, trees and shrubs, and made red and white roses grow on the same tree. In short, I practised until I became proficient, and I would advise you to do the same if you would learn from reading.