166 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA : 



the loops aud thus draws the half of the sheet into folds. One or two 

 guy ropes are attaclied to the tops of the poles to assist in raising and 

 lowering them. Preparatory to covering a tree, the sheet is spread out 

 aud the half of it toward the tree gathered into folds as described; the 

 poles are laid parallel, one at each side, with the feet in line with 

 the trunk and braced in some manner to prevent their slipping. Four 

 men are required to raise the cover, two for each side ; one lifts the pole 

 while the other with a guy rope assists him and works to prevent the 

 pole slipping to one side. To relieve the strain on the cloth, it is cus- 

 tomary to connect the tops of the poles with a rope a few inches shorter 

 than the width of cloth between them. When the cover is in a position 

 over the tree, the poles are, of course, beneath. This manner of 

 manipulating the cover was first practised by Mr. W. E. Murray, of the 

 Graaff-Reinet district, and by him explained to me. I found him 

 covering trees fully eighteen feet higli, using dried flower stalks of 

 American aloe (^Agave americana) as his poles. 



Generating Dishes. — China pudding-basins are now substituted for 

 the lead dishes first used as generating vessels. They are much less 

 costly and are preferable on the score of lightness ; also the smooth aud 

 rounded bottom inside is in their favour, it tending to keep the cyanide 

 floating in the acid during the reaction and thus rendering its complete 

 decomposition most probable. The bottoms of lead dishes soon become 

 battered and flattened ; under this condition lumps of cyanide may 

 become stranded when the acid is shallow and the dissolution thereby 

 checked. 



Extent of Orchard Fumigation. — The aggregate number of orchard 

 trees treated tluring the year by the fumigation process is known to be 

 above 24,000 and may be as high as 27,000. This is a large number 

 for the Cape when it is considered how small, scattered, and of uneven 

 growth our orchards are, aud that the treatment is in its infancy with 

 lis. Th(} Trappes Valley Club reports that it fumigated 8,678 trees in 

 fifteen months in 22 orchards ; aud the Oudtshoorn Club 4,127 in 110 

 orchards in ten months. Satisfaction is everywhere expressed with 

 the results, and some of the unsolicited statements as to the success of 

 the treatment are more flattering than patent medicine testimonials. 

 The fear that the scale would soon render the growing of citrus fruits 

 unprofitable has passed away. 



Fumigation of Deciduous Trees. — The employment of fumigation to 

 destroy scale insects on deciduous trees has not been specially recom- 

 mended, smce these trees may be sprayed thoroughly during the winter 

 with efiicacious washes at a relatively lower cost. But fumigation may 

 sometimes be advantageously substituted for spraying in the case of 

 deciduous ti'ces. If the treatment is performed during the winter, it 

 may be carried on during cool days under darkened covers without 

 injury to the trees, and doses strong enough to destroy all stages of 

 even egg-laying species safely administered. 



