If you are uncertain as to whether a fruit has been sprayed, caution commands that you peel it, which unfortunately also removes the phosphates and other valuable materials which lie immediately under the skin. It is better to do without these minerals, however valuable, than to risk poisoning. If the fruit trees are sprayed in winter, when they are bare, the fruit cannot suffer since there is none; the only damage that can then be done is to the ground and the micro-organisms in it. The poison adhering to the bark will not find its way into the fruit later on.
It is hoped that the practice of spraying poisons, chemical pesticides, will eventually stop as there is the possibility of using harmless biological pesticides that will help increase the yield of crops without the risk of harming the consumer. However, such harmless products can only be discovered if an effort is made to find them, as is the case with natural remedies as opposed to chemical ones.
Experiments carried out with herbal sprays, containing extracts of horsetail (shave grass), yarrow and nasturtium have given very satisfactory results and trials are continuing. We also recommend spraying with tobacco extract because it is organic and much less hazardous than chemical sprays.
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