88 Bulletin No. 34. 



away, doing considerable damage. It was then too late to do 

 much with them; the trash should all have been swept up and 

 burned during the winter, and the bugs so destroyed or compelled 

 to go elsewhere. 



It is to be remarked, with regard to the last case, that the 

 owner of the strawberries kept his place perfectly clean. The bugs 

 found shelter with his neighbor during the cold weather. Thus 

 it is, that the individual is often helpless in such matters so long 

 as his neighbors refuse to take the necessary precautions. 



If all the farm land were under cultivation, kept clear of trash, 

 and plowed in the fall, we should not hear so much about insect 

 pests. Every bit of waste land, grown up with weeds, breeds or 

 shelters insects which may attack the crops. 



Scale-insects may be usefully dealt with in the winter. In 

 Mesilla, N. M., the San Jose scale problem was solved in a very 

 simple way. The trees were cut back as much as was safe, and 

 then the infested trunks were painted carefully with kerosene. 

 This method will do very well for the Salt River Valley, where 

 there are not many trees infested. 



The winter birds destroy a great many insects. We have 

 noticed in New Mexico how large a percentage of the larvae of the 

 codling moth, wintering under the bark of apple trees, are eaten 

 by the birds. The birds, then, should be encouraged, and should 

 not be shot or otherwise persecuted by small boys. 



The Bryobia mite, which is common on almond trees in the 

 Salt River Valley, can be treated with a spray of lime, salt and 

 sulphur wash. The formula for this wash is: — Unslaked lime, 40 

 pounds; sulphur, 20 pounds; salt, 15 pounds. One-fourth of the 

 lime is first slaked and boiled with sulphur in 20 gallons of water 

 for two or three hours; the remainder of the lime is slaked and, 

 together with the salt, is added to the hot mixture, and the whole 

 boiled for half an hour or an hour longer. Water is then added 

 to make 60 gallons of wash. 



T. D. A. COCKERELL, 



Visiting Entomologist. 



