1901 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



THE SAN JOSE SCALE IN OHIO AND IN ONTARIO. 



Dr. Fletcher, of Ottawa, considered this meeting one of more than usual importance. No 

 subject which had ever engaged the attention of entomologists could compare with that of the 

 iiijuries done by the San Jose scale, and the finding of a practical remedy. The Federal, 

 Provincial and State Governments in Canada and the United States had done everything 

 popsible to direct the attention of fruit growers and gardeners to the danger of neglecting this 

 terrible pest and allowing it to spread through the country. Much good work had been done, 

 but further experiments were necessary before a quite satisfactory answer could be given to the 

 vital question: "Is there any definite, practical remedy for the San Jose scale?' He con- 

 gratulated the Society that the Hon. John Dryden had considered the meeting of importance 

 enough for him to leave his other work in a very busy department to come to London to 

 encourage the Society and to hear the latest views on the subject. The leading entomologists 

 of the world, in America, in Australia and in other countries were now directing their efforts 

 to this very question of getting an effective, easy and cheap remedy for the San Jose scale. 



The speaker had been fortuate enough recently to have an opportunity of going right through 

 the infested areas in Ohio and Ontario and examining the experiments which had been tried to 

 control it. In the first place, it should be stated that the San Jose scale only exists at the 

 present time, as far as Canada is concerned, in one corner of the Province of Ontario, extending 

 along the shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie in the Niagara Peninsula. The important experi- 

 ments which had been carried on during the past season by Professor F. M. Webster in Ohio 

 and by Mr. Geo. E. Fisher in Ontario were most instructive, and the results were really very 

 similar in nature. In passing through these infested areas it was noticeable on both sides of 

 the line that it was the same insect with the same habits in both places, the climate and the 

 soil conditions were the same, and the fruit trees and fruit growers were identically of the same 

 nature. The San Jose scale is without any doubt a terribly destructive insect, but it is so incon- 

 spicuous and difficult to detect when in small numbers, that there has been difliculty in getting 

 farmers to appreciate how great the danger is. The great outcry nowadays is for definite infor- 

 mation. The speaker claimed that the present occasion demanded, and he intended to make, very 

 definite statements, founded on his recent investigations in Ohio and Ontario, and he knew 

 these would be backed up and confirmed by Prof. Webster and Mr. Fisher, both of whom were 

 present. 



In the first place, with regard to the possibility of the San Jose scale killing trees in 

 Canada. Many had hoped that Canada was too far north for the scale to increase rapidly 

 enough to kill trees outright. In reply to this he had to say that he had recently seen plums 

 and peaches which had been quite killed in two years from the time they were found to be first 

 infested, and many other trees which, although not actually killed, were so seriously injured 

 that they were practically useless. Even apple trees, which were thought to be much better 

 able to withstand the attacks of the scale, were in many places, and particularly with some 

 varieties, so much damaged that they were much disfigured by having a large number of their 

 lower branches killed. It must, therefore, be concluded that the San Jose scale not only had 

 killed trees outright in Canada in a very few years, but that its powers to increase and do harm 

 are just as bad here as they are in other localities where it has gained a foothold. 



The Ohio experiments, carefully planned and worked out by Prof. Webster and 

 his expert assistants, showed plainly the benefit of special training in this kind of work. It 

 was most noticeable that where orchards had been carefully sprayed excellent results had fol- 

 lowed. This was particularly the case where the work had been done by the entomologists ; 

 however, where good practical fruitgrowers had carried out the instructions carefully the trees 

 had been protected and paying crops had been secured. The advantage of experience was very 



