454 



TUB MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Our iuvcstigatious led us to believe that sprays containing arsenic were apt to 

 cause severe burning of fruit, dropping of leaves, and dead wood. Miscible oils were 

 apt to cause defoliation and spotting or dropping of fruit. Sprays containing sulfur 

 frequently burned tbe fruit if applied when the temperature was very high. Some 

 sprays in which there was much soap seemed to bleach or yellow the trees and some- 

 times burned the fruit. Kerosene and distillate, when properly emulsified, did little 

 visible damage, and where carefully applied controlled the scale as well as any 

 other spray and better than many. All sprays when strong enough to kill scale do 

 more or less injury to citrus trees ; spraying is not as efficient as fumigation ; it is 

 not cheaper because it must be done oftencr and it causes more damage. 



A number of sprays have been put on the market with the claim that they have 

 been thoroughly tested out and found to be almost perfect scale insecticides and that 

 I hey would cause no injury. These same sprays have caused some injury in many 

 of the groves in which they have been used and in some cases the injury has been 

 very severe. Often the formula has to be changed, which proves that the spray was 

 not thoroughly tested before it was put on the market. My advice generally to a 

 man who feels inclined to spray is, not to spray his whole grove with some spray 

 that he is not familiar with, but if he wants to try it to spray a few trees and wait 

 for results before using it on the rest of the grove. Even then under different 

 conditions he may get different results. 



There are certain conditions where I advise spraying. Very young trees are apt to 

 be broken by tents and on account of being small may be thoroughly sprayed with 

 some reliable insecticide with good results. Sometimes trees are so situated near 

 houses or fences that it is impossible to put tents over them. In such cases spraying 

 is permissible. Again, in the case of very large trees, it is sometimes advisable to keep 

 the scale in check by spraying. But for general orchard work fumigation is no more 

 expensive in the long run and is much more satisfactory. 



PARCEL POST HORTICULTURAL MATERIAL DANGERS. 



By H. M. Armitage, County Horticultural Commissioner, San Diego, Cat. 



With the inauguration, January 1, 1!>13, of a parcel post system, allowing eleven 

 pounds to be carried through the mails, a loophole in the efficient horticultural 

 quarantine service of California was opened to the introduction of serious pests of 



orchard, field and garden through the medium of 

 parcels of horticultural and agricultural material, 

 delivered within the state without proper inspection. 

 The danger to the horticultural and agricultural 

 interests of the state from such shipments had been 

 realized from the time of the suggestion of such a 

 system, and long before it became established the 

 state office had been conferring with the proper 

 federal officials in an effort to arrange for the holding 

 of such parcels for inspection at the point of destina- 

 tion. Definite action on the part of the postal 

 authorities was slow in coming and it was not until 

 ^A^M April, 1915, that a definite order was issued at 



^^^^k ^" h ^^^ Washington providing for terminal inspection in 



^k £L I ^^^ those states maintaining an inspection service, of all 



yBftl ^b parcels passing through the mails containing horti- 



A fnl cultural material. 



MO At the time that this order was issued a load was 



removed from the shoulders of those responsible for 

 the horticultural protection of the state, as it was 

 felt that, at last, the loophole was effectively closed. 

 But was it? I believe that you who know will agree with me when I say that this 

 load has gradually returned as the interpretation and application of this order on 

 the part of the postmasters has been observed during the two years that it has been 

 in operation. Uneasiness was expressed by the state office in a request to the county 

 horticultural commissioners to report on the operation of this order in their l-espective 

 counties. It was in the compilation of such a report for the county of San Diego 

 that I was brought to realize the ineffectiveness of the present system and the dangers 

 attendant thereto. 



