REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 215 



trees all their lives said they had never seen it before, did I think it must be the dreaded 

 scale. 



" The most remarkable thing I observe among the peach trees is the limited area to 

 which this scale is confined. An infested tree will have one or two limbs affected, and 

 the others, perhaps, quite free, with only a few scales scattered about the base of last 

 year's laterals. On the trees immediately surrounding the infested one, perhaps only a 

 scale or two can be found, or in some instances a few small groups of six or eight. I 

 marked the spots with red lead as I came to each tree, and on trees considered centres 

 of infestation I drew two rings round the trunk ; the others with few scales, or even 

 one only, I marked with red spots. There is no danger of losing them and I shall know 

 just what spraying to give when I get the material. I recognize about three centres of 

 infestation among the peach trees, and some 50 trees that should be thoroughly 

 sprayed, over and above the pear trees." 



"July 5. — I first noticed the young on Saturday, 3rd inst., and by Monday noon 

 they were quite plentiful on the trunks of infested trees and even a few on the fruit of 

 the pears. They are extremely minute, nearly globular in form and, as far as I could 

 see with a magnifying glass, without any vestige of legs or head ; the colour, a light 

 yellow verging to white. The characteristic stain is quite marked on the fruit and 

 makes the nature of the minute spot distinct. The scale is more abundant than might 

 be expected, even on pear trees painted with a 2-pound to the gallon whale-oil soap 

 solution." 



"July 21. — The samples I send you are from a tree treated three times with soap 

 spray (the last time of 1 pound of soap to 5 gallons of water), and once with kerosene 

 emulsion strong enough to nearly strip some of my peach trees of leaves. The young 

 scale comes out freely on to the new pear wood and fruit, but I have only seen one 

 young scale on a new peach shoot ; perhaps later in the season they may work out. 

 Probably the fuzz on the peach would protect the fruit from the inroads of the scale, so 

 that fruit from an infested peach tree would have little, if any, effect in spreading the 

 pest. 



" It looks as if painting the trees with a 2 pound to the gallon soap solution had 

 but little effect on the old scale. In places where they are thick I can squeeze out quite 

 large insects." 



" November 27. — I have not myself seen any more cases of infestation than my 

 own, but a man who has been cutting back in my infosted trees the last month or so 

 and who knows the appearance of the scale well, tells me that two or three days ago he 

 had found numerous adult scales and young on trees in his village lot, and that his 

 neighbours have several trees as badly covered with scale as any of mine, and also a 

 considerable quantity on another adjoining orchard of several acres, the grower of 

 which talks of cutting out 8 rows so as to reduce the area of infestation to dimensions 

 which he thinks he might treat with some prospect of disinfecting them. 



" From the time the first brood of lice came out till September 9, I sprayed my 

 infested pear trees with the whale-oil soap solution (1 pound to 5 gallons of water) once 

 a week. I think it had very little, if any, effect in checking the increase of the scale 

 on those trees, for all those slightly infested in the spring were almost covered as badly 

 as the few I had taken out at the beginning of the season. I have since taken out and 

 burned all the pear trees, dwarf and standard, in the small orchard that you saw near 

 the house. Some of the trees at the north end were not affected and were doing well, 

 but blight as well having got hold of many I did not think it worth the risk and 

 trouble of further treatment. I intend to concentrate all my efforts on the peach trees. 

 I am cutting them back (especially those infested) as far as I think the tree will bear, not 

 to kill it, and hope to do something to keep the scale in check. I have very little hope 

 whatever of getting rid of it entirely. I find infested trees through an area quite eight 

 times as large as was infested in the spring, chiefly on trees three and four years 

 old. These are easier to examine than those larger, but it indicates that quite half 

 of the orchard should be treated to have even a chance of not missing any. I am con- 

 sidering now either to spray the whole orchard next year with kerofjene and water, say 

 from the end of April till the leaves or blossoms come out, in hopes of keeping the infes- 



