328 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Sc-ale (Aspidiotus ijoniiciosiis). Lancaster city and county are 

 (horoujj;hIy infected with this pest. 1 have tried my best to call the 

 fruit growers' attention to this fact and a great many have done 

 their utmost to clean their orchards. Hundreds of trees were 

 burned in places where the bark was covered fully one-eighth of ati 

 inch with the scale. In other cases whale oil soap and kerosene was 

 freely used and I believ«3 with adsolutely perfect success. In the 

 nurseries 1 have always advised the burning of the trees and the 

 great majority of nurserymen are anxious to clean their premises; 

 many of them never sell a tree unless it has been fumigated with 

 hydrocj-anic gas and dipped in whale oil soap. In my certificates 

 to nurserymcii, on whose premises I found the scale, I always stated 

 that I would see to it that no tree should leave that nursery which 

 had not been carefully examined and the parties themselves signed 

 a pledge obligating themselves to thoroughly clean all their stock 

 before selling it. I have, however, discovered that these promises have 

 not always been carried out and I shall therefore refuse further cer- 

 tificates in all such cases. I have, however, also discovered that the 

 San Jos<5 Scale is rather on the decrease than on the increase, due 

 largely to a parasite, Aphelinus fascipennis^ wiiich seems to propa- 

 gate as fast as the host upon which it feeds. Prof. W. G. Johnson, 

 of the Maryland station, has therefore advised fruit growers not to 

 burn infested twigs and branches, but to dig up the tree \>y the roots, 

 trim it and pile the brush and wood in the orchard, where they should 

 be left until about the 1st of June or longer; in case spraying would 

 be a sufficient check, the pruning should be do«e first and the cut 

 off twigs and branches placed where the spray cannot reach them. 

 This will insure the safety of the parasites. 



Nevertheless, I caonot refrain from calling the attention of the 

 State aulhorities to the fact that a much more stringent supervision 

 should be exercised than has hitherto been the case. If we as 

 merely honorary entomologists refuse to grant certificates, these 

 will be obtained from the next best squire and the people will be 

 entirely without protection. 



