No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 437 



it is shown that the best and cheapest remedy for this pest is the 

 boiled lime-sulphur wash, which should be boiled at least one hour. 

 These experiments show that the addition of salt has not been neces- 

 sary^, and even some injurious results may come to twigs and buds 

 of peach trees when applied during the fall or winter, with the salt 

 added. Since these bulletins are for free distribution, it is not 

 necessary to dwell at length upon this subject. However, it should 

 be added that the tests of the commercial insecticides have been 

 made with practically the same results that have been obtained in 

 other states, viz: that some of these materials are etl'ective in kill- 

 ing the scale when applied strong enough to have the desired effect, 

 but they should be stronger than claimed by manufacturers and 

 agents, or (for two or three of the leading brands) one part to ten, 

 or at most fifteen parts of water, instead of one to twenty, as claimed 

 by the manufacturers and agents. 



To avoid the appearance of personal interest in this regard, we 

 advise each person to try a^ little of such material for himself, and 

 thus, by practical experience, learn the results on his own trees, but 

 to depend upon the cheaper standard or home-made remedies for 

 saving most of his trees until he is well satisfied that he can con- 

 trol the scale in a satisfactory and inexpensive manner by the use of 

 the so-called miscible oils or soluble oils or other commercial in- 

 secticides. 



In this connection it should be said that the whale-oil soap, two 

 pounds in one gallon of Avater, applied as a spray or thorough wash 

 in the spring before the buds burst, will have excellent results in 

 killing all pests on the trees, biit will not be found as cheap as the 

 lime-sulphur wash, and the latter is also a germicide and fungicide 

 as well as insecticide. The great objection to the lime-sulphur wash 

 is the trouble with clogging nozzles, which can be overcome by 

 straining through a conical wire strainer set in a funnel, as shown 

 by the funnel here exhibited. 



Unfortunatel}^, it appears that the San Jos^ Scale is here to stay, 

 and cannot be exterminated, yet it can be controlled, and encourage- 

 ment should be found in the experience of hundreds of persons whose 

 names and addresses we can give, who are satisfied with the results 

 of their spraying. We believe it very important that a study of the 

 enemies of these pests should be made, and, if possible, to develop 

 or propagate parasites. The attempt will be worth a great deal ta 

 the agricultural interests of this State. 



To aid in disseminating practical information concerning scale 

 insects, we have prepared some models showing such pests greatly 

 enlarged, in natural colors and forms, which are used in meetings 

 where these subjects are discussed. I exhibit them here: 



Oyster-shell Scale. — The Oyster-shell Scale stands next in regard 

 to numbers of specimens sent to the office of the Zoologist and in- 

 quiries made. This is quite different from the San Jos^ Scale as 

 shown by these models, but it is too often confused with it by per- 

 sons who know neither. Our experiments have shown that it is 

 killed by early spraying, using the lime-sulphur wash before the 

 buds burst, just as for the San Jos6 Scale. Practical results have 

 been obtained in this way for this pest by our experiments, as well 

 as by fruit growers, such as Hon. H. E. Little, Tunkhannock, Pa., 

 and Mr. Vaa Busick, of Erie count;y^, who reported this to us. 



