No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 553 



MR, HALE. — I would like to say a word on this subject. I was 

 particularly interested in the remarks made by Prof. Surface, with 

 reference to the situation in Pennsylvania and bis suming up of his 

 results in connection with the use of the lime-sulphur wash. I have 

 had the San Jose Scale for many years and fought it in various 

 ways. We are always looking for the easy way out. At the 

 present time the people who are exploiting the oils are getting good 

 money from the people because it is the easy way out. If I had two 

 or three trees to treat I would give up the tree if I had to use the 

 lime-sulphur wash, or I would use whalebone soap or oils, but to the 

 commercial orchardist I would recommend the use of the lime sul- 

 phur wash. I have had five hundred barrels of sulphur and boiled it 

 up and there is no question but that the lime-sulphur wash is the 

 cheapest; on top of that it is a splendid fungicide and we get a 

 splendid result there. It also controls the leaf curl and controls 

 the brown rot and all our fungus troubles. On top of that it has 

 a stimulating effect on the growth of the tree. You spray one row 

 of trees with the lime-sulphur wash and let the other row beside it 

 go without spraying and you will see the good effects of spraying. 

 Those are the reasons that would continue to hold me to the use of 

 it. 



Now Brother Brown, you say it is hard to get labor because labor 

 is getting scarce, it is getting more independent, but in the last six 

 years I used about six hundred barrels and I never had a man to 

 leave the farm on account of the use of lime-sulphur wash. We 

 furnish them with proper clothing and vaseline to use on their 

 faces, although I would rather go to a picnic than a spraying. There 

 are times that oil will come in. There is a value and place for it at 

 times but it seems to me that its principal place is where the owner 

 has only a few trees. I don't think it will kill the scale as thor- 

 oughly as the lime-sulphur wash. I believe the lime-sulphur wash 

 is the best but I do not deny but what the oils will keep it down and 

 there is a place for it oi^ the small orchard and small grounds. 



However, it will be a long time before you are able to find any- 

 thing equal to the lime-sulphur wash to destroy the San Jos^ Scale 

 and in the use of this wash I have been impressed with the 

 idea that God sent the San Jos6 Scale for the use of the lime and 

 sulphur on our trees on account of their being other good results 

 in connection with the growing of the trees in the use of the lime- 

 sulphur wash. 



MR. PRATT. — Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: I usually refrain 

 from saying anything in a meeting of this character simply because 

 of being the originator and manufacturer of the soluble oils, still I 

 think it is due not only to myself but to other manufacturers of 

 soluble oils that I should sav a word. 



I believe it has been conclusively shown that the soluble oils, 

 when applied in the right and proper manner, are just as effective 

 as any insecticide we have in killing the San Jos^ Scale. This has 

 been proven in the thousands and thousands of barrels of oils that 

 we put out during last year. The question has been brought up in 

 our experiments stations as to why there have been some failures and 

 I have for the past few months been looking into this matter as 

 thoroughly as it was possible for me to do so, and I have been sur- 



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