THE SAN JOSE SCALE AND LIME-SULFUR WASH 



BY 



W. E. Hinds, Ph. D. 

 Entomologist to Alabama Experiment Station. 



Orchard Interests of Alabama. — The culture of or- 

 chard fruits, particularly peach, plum, pear and apple, 

 is already a very important factor in the agricultural 

 prosperity of Alabama. As nearly as we are able to es- 

 timate from the data available there are about 8,000,000 

 trees of these four kinds now growing in this State. Soil 

 climate and market conditions are exceedingly favorable 

 to a large increase in the growth of these fruits. The 

 extension of the present important movement for the 

 production of a greater diversity of crops, the substitu- 

 tion, of other, and more profitable, crops for cotton and 

 the adoption of improved methods for the culture of all 

 crops grown will undoubtedly result in a great increase 

 in fruit growing within the next few years. The growth 

 of these fruits for wholesale commercial shipments and 

 for the supply of the home markets as well, should in- 

 crease largely as a profitable business proposition. 



Danger From San Jose Scale. — The principal difficul- 

 ty to be met in maintaining present and in increasing fu- 

 ture fruit culture is the necessity for controlling the in- 

 sect enemies which, if left uncontrolled, may partially, 

 or entirely, destroy the crops of fruit or even the life of 

 the trees themselves. The most important insect affect- 

 ing the four species of trees mentioned is the San Jose 

 scale (pronounced "San Hosay") known scientifically as 

 Asjndiotus perniciosus Comst. This is the most deadly 

 enemy of fruit-growing known. The name itself means 

 "most injurious scale" and it was well chosen. 



