THE SAN JOSE SCALE AND ITS TREATMENT. 



Of the insects injurious to fruit trees none are likely to do more harm 

 than the one to which the name of San Jose scale has been given. It 

 was first found in Michigan some ten years ago, although it was prob- 

 ably brought in upon nursery stock several years before its discovery. 

 At first it was claimed that it could not live in Michigan, but it has 

 already spread into the sixth tier of counties from the Indiana line. It 

 must not be understood that it is in all of the southern counties, as it 

 has not been found in more than one-half of the counties in the six 

 southern tiers, and in most of those where it has been found it is known 

 to occur in only a few orchards. There are eight or ten counties in 

 which it has become quite generally distributed in some of the town- 

 ships, but even there it is probable that it does not occur upon one-half 

 of the trees. It has spread most rapidly in the leading fruit-growing 

 districts and in the cities and villages, because the conditions there 

 favor its introduction and spread. In the counties where the land is 

 largely devoted to farm crops, comparatively few trees are purchased, 

 and as the orchards are widely scattered the scale cannot spread rapidly. 



The climatic and other conditions were evidently favorable for the 

 spread of the scale during the last season, as hundreds of orchards in 

 which it was not possible to find any scale last spring are now quite 

 badly infested. Unless the owners of these and other infested orchards 

 take prompt and effective measures to rid their trees of the pest, it will 

 be only a question of the time that must elapse before the trees will be 

 killed by the scale. It is not uncommon to find a young peach tree 

 practically ruined in one or two years, while not more than four or five 

 years will elapse before pear, plum and small apple trees will be killed 

 by the scale. 



ITS APPEARANCE ON TH'B FRUIT. 



In order to protect the orchards one should be informed regarding the 

 appearance of the scale, so that its presence may be detected before it 

 has done serious harm to the trees. During the late summer it is an 

 easy matter to determine, if it is in a bearing orchard, as it can be 

 readily noted upon the fruit, especially those of a yellow or green color. 

 Wherever the San Jose scale has settled upon a fruit there will be a 

 round red spot about one-eighth inch in diameter, in the center of which 

 there will be a small black dot, which is the scale itself. They may be 

 anywhere upon the fruit but are most jjlentifnl at the blossom end 

 and the basin is often fairly encrusted Avith them. It must not be 

 thought that every red spot containing a black dot is caused by the San 

 Jose scale, as the Greening and other yellow and green apples often 

 have similar spots and dots that it is difficult to distinguish from those 

 due to the San Jose scale even with a hand lens. A very simple test, 

 however, is to endeavor to remove the black dot with the finger nail or 



