No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 29 



his work are given in the report of the Economic Zoologist, before 

 referred to. 



An important contention of olTicial Ilorticultural Inspectors for 

 the United States and Canada, was held last November in the city of 

 Washington, D. C. 



These inspectors are charged by their respective States with the 

 inspection of orchards and nursery stock, for the purpose of discover- 

 ing whether or not, any injurious insect ^est or pests are present, and 

 to prescribe treatment for their eradication or control. 



At this meeting, which was composed of the leading entomologists 

 of the United States, men who have had extended practical experience 

 in dealing with insect pests, but who nevertheless differed from each 

 other in their methods of procedure for their control, the writer of- 

 fered the following resolution, which was adopted: 



''Resolved, That in order to arrive at a common understanding as to 

 the best insecticides to use for the destruction of San Jos^ Scale in 

 the orchards and nurseries of this country, and in order to secure 

 definite directions for their application, a committee consisting of 

 Messrs. Smith, of New Jersey; Webster, of Ohio; Feruald, of Mass.; 

 Alwood, of Virginia, and Atwood, of New York, is hereby appointed 

 to prepare a recommendation to this association for its considera- 

 tion." 



At a later session the above committee presented the following re- 

 port, which was adopted: 



''The committee, after due consideration, finds itself able to agree 

 upon the following recommendations for treatment: 



1. For nurseries: Proper fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas 

 after inspection. 



2. For orchards: Late summer and fall treatment with dilute 

 solutions of insecticide soaps, oils or other effective insecticides to 

 kill young scales. Winter treatment with insecticide soaps or oils 

 suflQciently strong to kill the scale, and which have been proved safe 

 to trees of all kinds in the region where the application is to be made." 



The guarded nature of the statements in this report, made by the 

 leading authorities in the United States upon this subject, shows 

 how undecided even our best equipped scientists are as to the best 

 methods to adopt for resisting these insect foes. 



The need, therefore, for a liberal appropriation to continue investi- 

 gations along these lines is manifest to any one who has given even 

 slight attention to the subject. 



