252 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



penetrate through the scale masses on badly infested trees, and that 

 it may get into the crevices and irregularities of the bark. 



This strong soap mixture has one serious drawback. If applied in 

 the early winter it almost invariably kills the entire fruit set on 

 peach trees and a large percentage of that on other orchard trees. 

 As spring advances the bad effect on the fruit buds becomes less 

 marked and, if the application is made just before the trees start, 

 little or no harm will be done. This throwing the time of treatment 

 so far along in the opening season is a great disadvantage, because 

 any accident to machinery, or a long streak of adverse weather, may 

 make it impossible to complete the w^ork in a large orchard. On 

 peach trees even one pound to one gallon of water will injure some 

 fruit buds if applied early in winter; but on other orchard trees this 

 seems to be safe. 



There is an incidental effect from both of the caustic mixtures de- 

 scribed. The lime, salt and sulphur wash is a tolerably good fun- 

 gicide and will kill off a very large proportion of the spores lodged on 

 the surface of the treated trees. The soap mixture on peach trees 

 seems to cure the leaf curl. 



There are several good fish oil soaps on the market. They are 

 called "whale oil;" but, as a matter of fact, are made chiefly from re- 

 fuse fish oil. The writer has tried and can speak personally of three 

 of these. One is made by James Good, 939 North Front street, Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., and is a soft soap. Another is made by W. H. Owens, 

 Catawba Island, Ohio; and is also a soft soap. The third is made by 

 Leggett and Brother, 301 Peart street. New York City, N. Y., and is 

 a hard soap. Mr. Good makes two kinds; one that he calls Potash 

 No. 3, and one containing and an indeterminate quantity of tobacco 

 extract; but otherwise the same. The tobacco adds nothing to the 

 soap as against the San Jos6 Scale. 



All these soaps are good and any one of them will answer for any 

 of the purposes for which such soap is recommended here. The cost 

 of all of them ranges between three and one-half and five cents per 

 pound, dependent upon the quantity purchased. A gallon of wash 

 would thus cost for winter applications from seven to ten cents, ex- 

 clusive of freight charges and other expenses of preparation. 



The effect of the material on fruit buds must be always kept in 

 mind; but where this feature does not become important, as when 

 trees are not of bearing age, the date of application may be any- 

 where between January 1st and the opening of the buds. 



