730 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



on the bark of shade trees, fruit trees, shrubbery and berry bushes.^ 

 George P. Weldon recommends the use of soluble oils used in propor- 

 tions not weaker than one gallon of soluble oil to nineteen gallons of 

 water as a winter spray to destroy the egg masses of this pest. 



THE CALIFORNIA TUSSOCK MOTH. 



The caterpillars of this moth are gray in color with numerous colored 

 spots. They have four prominent white tufts on the dorsum and two 

 distinct black ones on the head. They feed upon the young fruit and 

 foliage. As this pest spends the winter in the egg stage, the hand 

 picking of the egg masses after the leaves have fallen will greatly reduce 

 their numbers. The egg masses are attached to the trunks of trees and 

 to nearby objects or to twigs. 



PEAR BLIGHT. 



The damage wrought by pear blight and the appearance of affected 

 trees are too well known for comment in this article. Suffice it to say 

 that during the winter months the orchard should be carefully gone 

 over and the diseased portion of the trees cut off and burned before the 

 blooming season commences. The prunning tools and the cuts must be 

 disinfected with corrosive sublimate 1 to 1000. Care must be taken to 

 cut off below any sign of the visibly infected area. If after this treat- 

 ment blight appears during the growing season, the work of cutting out 

 infested areas must be continued. 



SMUT OF WHEAT, OATS AND BARLEY. 



The smut of grains causes large losses annually to the agriculturist 

 in the United States. Sprinkle the grain thoroughly with formalin, 

 1 pint to 30 gallons of water, and allow the seed to dry before sowing. 



>Mo. Bui. Cal. State Com. of Hort, Vol. 2, No. 9, p. 645. 



