164 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



1. Lime-suHur Solution (Home-boiled, Concentrated). Slack 1 

 pound of high grade lime, adding 2 pounds of ground or powdered 

 sulfur, and boil in 1 gallon of water for one hour. Use this propor- 

 tion for any larger quantity. If necessary add water to make up 

 for any evaporation; strain and store in closed vessels until needed, 

 or in open vessels, keeping the solution covered with a thin film of 

 oil. When ready to spray dilute one part with 7 or 8 parts of water, 

 or (better) to specific gravity, as shown by Hydrometer test, of 1.U4 

 to 1.03. 



2. Lime-sulfur Solution (Home-boiled, dilute.) This is made by 

 slaking 22 pounds of quick lime (fresh stone limej, to which is added 

 17 pounds of finely powdered or ground sulfur previously mixed into 

 a paste with a little water to break up any lumps which may be 

 present. Boil in an iron kettle in sufficient water for an hour, and 

 dilute to make 50 gallons. Strain this well through a fine brass wire 

 netting, having about 30 wires to the inch. Spray at once, or before 

 the mixture gets cold. The objections to this are the great amount of 

 sediment, and the necessity of immediate use. 



3. Lime-sulfur Solution (Commercial Concentrated). Many manu- 

 facturers are placing upon the market ready-made Concentrated 

 Lime-sulfur Solutions, and these are found satisfactory and about as 

 effective as the Home-boiled Solution. They should be diluted, as 

 a rule, by adding to one part of the Concentrated Mixture 7 or 8 

 of water, or (better) to specific gravity, as shown by Hydrometer 

 test, of 1.04 to 1.03. 



4. Kerosene Emulsion. Made by dissolving one pound of soap 

 in one gallon of hot water, and adding to this 2 gallons of kerosene 

 or common coal oil, stirring and whipping it until it forms a thick, 

 creamy mass. To this stock solution add 5 times its bulk of water. 



Special care must be taken in spraying apple trees to soak the 

 buds and twigs thoroughly. Since the treatment for Blister-mites 

 with Lime-sulfur Solution is the same as that which we recommend 

 for San Jose scale, it is evident that where both pests are present 

 a spray applied for one of them will destroy the other. 



H. A. SURFACE, 



Economic Zoologist. 



The Southern Cotton worm moth, Aletia argilUwea, appeared all 

 over the State of Pennsylvania from September 21, to October 7, 

 in such numbers, as one correspondent expressed it, ''not by the 

 hundreds nor yet by the thousands, but by the millions, so as to 

 fill the air and darken the lights as by a snowstorm." Many speci- 

 mens of this moth were sent to us simultaneously from different 

 parts of the State, with inquiries as to their identity and signifi- 

 cance. 



It is evidently a source of much satisfaction to our alert citizens 

 to know that this was only a visitor, which is not known to feed upon 

 vegetation in Pennsylvania, and which has migrated into this State 

 from the southern country where it normally feeds on the cotton 

 plant. 



It is worthy of note that we observed these moths doing consider- 

 able damage to the late peaches, such as Salway, which were ripen- 

 ing just at the time of their invasion. They alighted upon the ripe 



