556 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



with recommending anything except what I honestly believe to 

 be the best interest of the fruit grower. 



These miscible oils are not expensive, are thoroughly effective, 

 mix readily in water, and if properly applied, will kill scale at the 

 dilution recommended by the manufacturers, viz: One to twenty. 

 When all things are considered they are cheaper than the L. S. wash; 

 they are pleasant to handle, neither injuring pumps or workman, 

 very quickly prepared, never clog pumps or nozzles, and will cover 

 one-third to one-half more tree surface per gallon than the lime 

 sulphur wash. This is not all, for the same force, with a pump 

 using the miscible oils will cover from two to three times more trees 

 in a given time and do it better than with the sulphur wash. This 

 makes it by far the cheaper remedy. 1 know these may seem like 

 strong claims, but to prove them I here and now challenge any 

 entomologist or fruit grower to a field contest, either in an orchard 

 or public park, and I will prove that these oils, when properly 

 applied, are not only more effective than the L. S. washes, but very 

 much cheaper. Were we able to secure all the evidence, I am fully 

 convinced that a very much larger percentage of those using the 

 oils have been effective in controlling the scale than those who have 

 used the L. S. washes. In my own State the miscible oils have solved 

 the problem. Last week we held a three days' session of the 

 Peninsula Horticultural Society at Dover, Delaware. There were 

 from 600 to 1.000 fruit growers in attendance at the sessions, and 

 in all that time the question of the control of the San Jos^ scale 

 was not raised, nor the subject discussed, because our people felt 

 that they had at last found something that would control the 

 scale. 



We have used the soluble oils during the last three years, but 

 very extensively the last year with the above result. I have a letter 

 received today from J. W. Killen, of Felton, Delaware, known to 

 many of you as the largest private experimentor east of the Mis- 

 sissippi River; a man who has propagated more new varieties of 

 chestnuts than any other man in the United States. Last spring 

 he had a badly scale infested peach orchard. He says his trees 

 were nearly dead, so that their recovery even with the best of treat- 

 ment, was extremely doubtful. Both sides of the orchard was treated 

 with Lime Sulphur wash with good results. The center was treated 

 with Target Brand Scale Destroyer with very good results, not only 

 in destroying the scale but the trees where the scale destroyer was 

 used made a larger growth of wood and held their foliage three 

 weeks later in the season than wiiere the Lime-Sulphur wash* was 

 used. This would make it appear that the application was bene- 

 ficial to the trees. An extensive experiment, conducted the past 

 season, in dipping nursery trees before planting, shows exactly the 

 same results as Mr. Killen found. From this it would appear that 

 the miscible oils possess a fungicidal value as well as being a sure 

 insecticide. I feel sure we are just on the threshold of great possi- 

 bilities with the oil washes, many claim they are still too costly. 

 I contend they are not v.lipn all things are accounted for — but if they 

 are, they are the best scale remedy and the best is not always the 

 cheapest so far as dollars and cents are concerned — but measured 

 by final results, they are cheapest. What we want and insist upon 



