No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 169 



Infested with 

 San Jos6 Scale. 



June, 24S places inspected 103 or 42 per cent. 



July, 229 places inspected 52 or 23 per cent. 



August, 201 places inspected 94 or 47 per cent. 



September, 1S4 places inspected 100 or 54 per cent. 



October, 150 places inspected, &4 or 43 per cent. 



Total, 1,012 places Inspected 413 or 41 per cent. 



While 41 per cent, of the farms inspected have some San Jos^ Scale 

 probably not more than 10 per cent, of the total number of trees 

 are infested. The signilicaut fact is that this insect is very gener- 

 ally distributed and it will be a very short time indeed, until we, 

 in this section reach the condition tound now in eastern Pennsyl- 

 vania, unless the work we ai^e doing shall arouse a large part of our 

 farmers to action. 



The varying attitude oi the different men toward our work may be 

 shown by two examples: In the fall of 19UG a demonstration was 

 given seven miles south of Danville. Fifteen attended, all, including 

 the owner, were young men. This summer while inspecting I found 

 that 8 of the fifteen had sprayed and most of them very successfully. 

 In one case, an afternoon's inspection failed to show any living 

 Scale, so thoroughly had the work of spraying with the Lime-sulfur 

 wash been done, though the bark showed abundant evidence of 

 serious infestation previous to the spraying. In the spring of 1906, 

 another demoustration was given, near Fisher's Ferry. A block of 

 500 apple trees was badly infested. After the demonstration the 

 owner sprayed all the trees, but to-day, after three seasons, his 

 orchard is infested as before and his neighbors, all old men who want 

 to sell their farmis, are waiting to see how he would come out before 

 trying to spray their own trees. These examples are typical. 



I believe that in Northumberland county the interest in San Jos^ 

 scale, and in the better care of fruit trees, is greater than two years 

 ago. Among the grain farmers no action has come. The truckers 

 and fruit growers have advanced from interest to action. 



Should our work be discontinued at the end of the year there 

 would be no more noticeable result than would happen should the 

 State stop all its road building. Our roads might be no worse than 

 before the State began to help, but we would now take a long slide 

 backward. Results in this work cannot be measured nor shown in a 

 year nor in two or three years, but the work is a continually growing 

 work whose results will be shown for many years to come. I believe 

 it would be a real calamity to discontinue the definite instructions 

 in combatting insects, which w^e have been carrying on. 



The inspector is always cordially received. Practically the only 

 material used to any extent in this territory is Lime-sulphur or Lime- 

 sulfur salt. Results have been excellent when the work has been 

 thoroughly done, but thorouglincss is essential. Two peach or- 

 chards show this need bel ter than any argument. In the first, the 

 owner supervised the work, the trees were sprayed twice, as they had 

 been badlv infested. Later, I could find no live Scale. Nearbv 

 another orchard had been sprayed five times by the hired man and i^ 

 still infested badly in places. 



The outlook for fruit growing is excellent. The variation in cli- 

 matic conditions makes good judgment necessary in selecting site 

 .and location, but the markets within driving distance will consume 

 all of every grade one can produce. There are as yet very few thor- 

 oughgoing fruit growers, but all who are attending to business 

 succeed. 

 12 



