No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 541 



Tlu'l'c, large orchards have been established, some of .them hundreds 

 of acres in extent. Of course, all the known remedies for the San 

 Jos6 Scale have been tried in that state, for the Virginia orchardist 

 has gone into the business of fruit-growing for profit and not for 

 pleasure. The products of his orchard arc now on sale we might 

 say, without exaggeration, all over the world. Take the case of one 

 grower near the city of Roanoke, Va., who recently marketed a 

 crop of apples, realizing from 25 acres the snug sum of |5,500, with 

 what we know as the "culls," bruised and imperfect apples, left 

 for cider and vinegar. There are companies in the same neighbor- 

 hood having hundreds of acres in apple trees. One of these com- 

 I)anies sold the crop of Albemarle pippins of the season of 1903 for 

 116,000. Apples exported to Europe, carefully packed, have brought 

 111 per barrel in the Liverpool markets. Under the circumstances, 

 is it any wonder that the apple growers of Virginia have been on 

 the alert in regard to the San Jos6 Scale. 



The wash which has been found very elTective in Virginia, and 

 in the successful use of which there is corroborative evidence from 

 Western New York, is known as the caustic soda wash. This, being 

 to a considerable extent corrosive, should be applied to the trees 

 early in the winter, after the leaves have fallen, and again in the 

 spring, before the foliage has developed. It must be applied with 

 skill and, hence, the necessity of observing carefully every detail. 

 Otherwise it is as safe to use as the lime, sulphur and salt wash, and 

 is much more effective. 



The formula is easy to remember, because it starts with certain 

 figures, and then drops to one-half, and then use the figures men- 

 tioned at the beginning, as follows: Lime, 34 pounds; sulphur, 17 

 pounds; caustic soda, 3 or 4 pounds (according to strength desired); 

 water, 1 barrel. This can be mixed without boiling, and can be 

 sprayed through a Vermorel nozzle, care being observed to use a 

 clear quality of lime, that whic^i has little grit, so that the solution 

 will not clog the nozzle of the sprayer. 



Whale oil soap and crude petroleum, it might be mentioned here, 

 are very effective for the subjection of the San Jos6 Scale. These 

 are the remedies mentioned by your pomologist in his report of 

 January 23, 1895. The whale oil soap solution should be sprayed 

 on the trees in winter, when they are dormant. It is destructive 

 of the foliage. 



The kerosene emulsion is prepared as follows: Hard soap, shaved 

 fine, half pound; soft water, one gallon; kerosene, two gallons. Dis- 

 solve the soap in boiling water, add the kerosene, and churn with 

 a force pump until a smooth, white butter-like mass is formed which 

 adheres to glass without oiliness. For application to trees infested 

 with the scale, dilute the above with five parts of water. 



