630 



horticulture: 



May 9, 1908 



Seed Trade 



BulU'liu Xo. 121, from the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural Rxperinient Station, 

 entitled 'Seed Separation and Ger- 

 mination." by Dr. George E. Stone, 

 gives a l)rief account of the methods 

 used in and the advantages to be de- 

 rived from the separation of seed, to- 

 gether with some experimental data 

 pertaining to seed separation. 



The bulletin describes and illus- 

 trates the various devices for separa- 

 ting seed which have been employed at 

 the Station. With large seed, sieves 

 are recommended lor separating 

 tne large from the small seed, 

 and for smaller seed like onion a 

 winnowing machine is used. The bul- 

 letin illustrates a new device tor 

 separating tobacco, celery and other 

 similar very small seed by means of 

 blasts of air, and this, as well as dif- 

 ferent kinds of sieves, etc., has been 

 used extensively at the Massachusetts 

 Experiment Station, and a great many 

 samples of tobacco and onion seed are 

 separated annually with it. 



Tables are given in the bulletin 

 showing the standard of germination 

 of some of the most important seeds, 

 and a brief review of the seed worlc 

 at the Experiment Station. Four 

 tables are also included which are for 

 the purpose of illustrating the advan- 

 tages of seed separation, and these 

 are typical of a large number of ex- 

 periments which have been carried on 

 lor some years, showing that in prac- 

 tically all" cases the larger seeds are 

 superior in their germinating capacity, 

 and that from them much larger seed- 

 lings can be obtained. 



Seed separation is especially applica- 

 ble to tobacco and onion seed, and can 

 be employed to good advantage with 

 other seeds, more particularly lettuce, 

 radishes and celery. 



W. R. Paxson has opened a seed 

 store at Crawfordsville, Ind. 



THE SAN JOSE SCALE. 



The Rhode Island College of .Agricul- 

 ture and Mechanic Arts has a bulletin 

 now in press covering the subject of 

 this dangerous pest very fully but it 

 will not be ready for this spring's use 

 and therefore an advance sheet is be- 

 ing distributed, from which we extract 

 the following: 



Its Dissemination. 



The San Jose scale was imported 

 from China inio tlie San .lose Valley. 

 California, about thirty-five years ago, 

 and from there it has been carried 

 over the country in nursery stock, al- 

 most before its dangerous character 



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was realized. Unlike the scurfy and 

 oyster shell scales, which have 

 troubled the fruit growers for a cen- 

 tury or more, and which lay eggs in 

 the fall of the year that hatch at some 

 definite time the following summer, 

 the San Jose scale lives over winter 

 in the larval stage, and after maturing 

 in the spring produces young which 

 hatch from eggs inside the body of the 

 female. This process may go on for 

 five or six weeks before the insect dies. 

 The larvae soon settle down, inseil 

 their sucking tubes into the bark and, 

 in a fev»' days, secrete a waxy covering 

 or scale which protects them from in- 

 jury. The young mature in about 35 

 or 40 days and then begin to give birth 

 to a new generation. 



The oyster shell and scurfy bark 

 scales ran be treated with an ordinary 

 kerosene emulsion at the time when 

 the eggs hatch in the early summer, 

 and if thoroughly done, every one of 

 the young scales will be destroyed. 

 This method cannot be used for the 

 San Jose scale. Solutions which would 

 destroy the female scales would be too 

 caustic tor the foliage of the trees. It 

 is possible to kill the young larvae 

 with the same solutions as used for 

 other scales, but it is evident from the 

 life history already given that applica- 

 tions would have to be made or^ce or 

 twice a week throughout the summer 

 in order to reach all that are bom be- 

 fore they have time to form the pro- 

 tective covering. 



Three Billion Descendants in One 

 Season. 



As the insect has few enemies, most 

 of the young scale live to mature and 

 reproduce, and with the several gen- 

 erations which appear during one sea- 

 .tion it is possible for one female which 

 ■B inters over to have more than three 

 billion descendants at the end of the 

 season. This illustrates the force of 

 what we wish to impress upon all who 

 expect to battle with this insect on 

 fruit and crnamental stock, that spray- 

 ing as ordinarily carried on, is inefiB- 

 cienl and almost certain to lead to dis- 

 appointment and the idea that the 

 scale cannot be controlled. A very- few 

 scales which may escape a careless ap- 

 plication of the spray remedy may 

 have progeny enough to lead the fruit 

 grower to think, when the fall comes, 

 that the [ipplieation of spray remedies 

 the previous season was of absolutely 

 no avail, when as a matter of fact he 

 may have killed 95 per cent, of those 

 wintering over. 



The Best Spraying Ouafit. 



The precaution is obvious. Every 

 portion of the tree must be covered 

 with the spray to the very tips of the 



twigs, and from all sides. This can 

 only be accomplished with a good 

 spraying outfit. The first requisite is 

 a good spray pump with which a pres- 

 sure of 75 to 125 pounds can be main- 

 tained at the nozzle. If the Vermorel 

 type of nozzle is used, this pressure 

 will pro<Uice a fine mist-like spray, 

 which, if intelligently directed, will 

 strike a.nd adhere to all parts cf the 

 tree. As an illustration of the efficien- 

 cy of a misty spray over a coarse one, 

 notice how much more thoroughly a 

 tree is dampened by a heavy fog than 

 by a brisk shower. 



The best remedy today is the limo- 

 sulphur wash prepared as follows: 

 Slake 15 "to 20 pounds of good lime 

 in a smaU rpiantity of hot water. 

 While the slaking is in progress, sift 

 into the lime 15 lbs. of Flowers of Sul- 

 pnur and mix the mass thoroughly. 

 When ihe ebullition has ceased, add 20 

 to 25 gallons of hot water and boil 

 from 40 to 50 minutes. Pour through 

 a strainer having 20 to 24 meshes to 

 the inch into a tank or barrel and add 

 water, hot preferably, enough to make 

 fifty gallons. The mixture should be 

 applied while hot, and if any of it is 

 left standing over night it should be 

 heated before being applied. 



When it is impracticable to make 

 the lime-sulphur wash in any of these 

 forms, good results can be obtained 

 by the use of one of the miscible oil 

 sprays now on the market. Scalccide 

 and Traget Brand Scale Emulsion are 

 forms of these oil sprays which seem 

 to give excellent results. They are 

 handled by dealers in agricultural sup- 

 plies in our cities. The oil sprays mix 

 readily with cold water and are very 

 easily applied. Directions for using 

 are furnished by manufacturers. 

 Recapitulation. 



To recapitulate: The spraying must 

 be done with good spray mixtures and 

 up-to-date apparatus. The work must 

 be thorough. If a wind biows, only 

 one sidii of the tree can be sprayed. 

 The other side must be treated when 

 the wind is from the other direction. 

 Have pressure enough to produce a 

 fine mist as the spray leaves the nozzle. 

 Cover every spot on the tree to the 

 very tip of the twig-s. A good sprayer 

 will do this without deluging the tree 

 so that the liquid runs dcmn the stem 

 or drips froni the branches. Uso the 

 boiled lime-sulphur wash if possible. 

 If not, use one of the miscible oils. 

 Spray as scon as the leaves have fallen 

 in the autumn, or just before the leaves 

 come out in the ^-pring. 



You will find something worth reading 

 on every page of HORTICULTURE. 



