534 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



inspector can possibly find all the scale insects in any nursery or all 

 of the trees that have only a few of these pests upon them, but the 

 gas when properly applied can find nearly if not quite all. 



4. Many states are requiring fumigation of all nursery stock. 

 No less than eight states have this requirement. We should not 

 require it for our State merely because others do the same, but the 

 best fruit-growing states of America and also Canada would not 

 require universal fumigation if the experts and scientific persons in 

 those states did not find it best. 



5. No other treatment of any nursery stoclv which is suspected 

 of being infested is known to be as efl'ective in killing the scale or 

 as safe to the trees. Since this is true, fumigation — the best 

 method — should be ours. 



6. A further and very strong argument for fumigation of all 

 nursery stock, especially of all fruit trees, is that the fruit growers 

 want it. They find that the pest is carried into their regions upon 

 nursery stock that has not been properly treated, and generally not 

 treated at all. It is very important that its dissemination by this 

 means be entirely checked. The best authorities in our country 

 have nothing better to offer than universal fumigation. 



Arguments Against Fumigation. 



With this, as with. every question, that are two sides. Let us try 

 to take as honest a view of the opposing side as we have taken of 

 that just discussed. For certain reasons the nurserymen are justi- 

 fied in opposing fumigation as performed by many persons. 



1. Fumigation may not be effective. If it be not effective, why 

 should we require it? It will be ineffective when any one or more 

 of the conditions named in the early part of this article are missing 

 or improper. By "ineffective" we mean that the scale will not be 

 killed. When fumigated for too short time, or by poor material, 

 or when the trees are so wet that they are covered by a film of water, 

 when the house is poorly constructed and leaks gas. when over- 

 packed, when insufficient material is used, etc., the scale will not be 

 killed and the expense and time and trouble of fumigation will be 

 for nothing. 



2. Fumigation mav be made to injure plants, and it does injure 

 them when improperly done. This may come from too long expos- 

 ure, using too much material, fumigating plants wlien not in dor- 

 mant condition, fumigating them when the roots are packed in damp 

 packing material, fumigating them in a room that is not adapted 

 to ventilation, for example, a box-car, fumigating at a very high 

 temperature or while the room is very warm, and also fumigating 

 varieties such as conifers and greenhouse plants that are too deli- 

 cate to stand full strength. It should be said that the latter may 

 be fumigated when necessary by reducing the strength, as should 

 be done for peach when quite dormant or the wood is not hardened. 

 All fruit trees when dormant will stand much more than the formula 

 above indicated. 



8. Fumicfation is troublesome and expensive to nurserymen. 

 When a larece firm is rushing its orders in the sprinar. it is as busy as 

 any extensive former at haymakinc: time, especially if there should 

 be prolonged rains at this time, it would be quite a hindrance to 



