138 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



carbolic acid (about 25% pure) was rather thiu and did not greatly 

 color the stock solution. In a number of instances we procured very 

 dark whale-oil soap, which was absolutely unfit for use, and also thick, 

 black crude carbolic acid, which did not make a good emulsion and 

 which formed a black substance which adhered to the foliage and fruit 

 of the trees, giving them a most disgusting appearance. During the 

 past year the writer has had occasion to examine several emulsions made 

 in various parts of the State and found most of them to be exceedingly 

 poor. In one case no emulsion at all was formed, and the crude carbolic 

 acid floated around on the top in the form of a dark, thick, curdy mass, 

 which could not be brought into solution except by heating. In another 

 case the crude carbolic acid separated out and floated on the top of the 

 diluted spray. The best stock solutions should be creamy in consistency, 

 milky white in color. They will keep indefinitely and emulsify easily 

 when cold. To my mind many of the poor results obtained from spray- 

 ing have been due to the poor stock solutions made from improper 

 ingredients. 



Commercial Sprays. 



There are several commercial sprays upon the market which the 

 writer has not had an opportunity to experiment with, but many of the 

 growers in California have used them, some with good and some with 

 poor success, as we might expect from the use of any sprays. The one 

 objection to these commercial preparations is the great cost, which is so 

 many times that of the home made product that one might well go to 

 the trouble of preparing a spray which will give practically as good 

 results as the ready made product. For small infestations, however, it 

 is often advised to buy the ready made sprays rather than to go to the 

 trouble of making one. 



Time for Spraying. 



The best time to spray for mealy bugs appears to be during the fall, 

 winter and spring months, when the eggs are being laid and the young 

 hatching and the insects are more in evidence than at any other time of 

 the year. At this season the citrus trees are also more or lass dormant 

 and are better able to withstand the sprayings than during the summer 

 months. The general experience seems to indicate that between October 

 first and March first is the best time to make the applications. In the 

 case of navel oranges, however, the spraying should be made either 

 before the fruit is formed or before the navel is enlarged enough to 

 admit the mealy bugs, as it is almost impossible to kill the insects after 

 they are massed in the navel. 



Application of Sprays. 



Without doubt the greatest factor in the efficiency of sprays is their 

 application. The work must be thoroughly done, otherwise it might 

 just as well not be done at all. The first essential is a good power 

 sprayer, capable of maintaining a pressure of from one hundred and 

 fifty to two hundred pounds. The liquid should be applied as a coarse 

 driving spray. The nozzles best adapted to this have proved to be the 

 large-holed ' ' Jumbo ' ' and ' ' Mistry Jr. " A spraying rod, equipped with 

 a straight "Y" and two angled nozzles, or an angled "Y" and two 



