420 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE ORANGE. 



equivalent, ten quarts of the home-made lye, and make the 

 solution up to three gallons with water. Before the trees 

 bloom, thin out the branches by pruning, so that air and 

 light may hav^e free access to the foliage and fruit, carefully 

 burning all the prunings ; then wash or spray the entire tree, 

 trunk, limbs, and foliage, and, if practicable, use the wash 

 heated to a temperature of about 130° F., which would be 

 nearly as hot as the hand could bear. 



In two or three weeks, or about the time when the young 

 larvae appear, the washing or spraying should be repeated, 

 using the same mixture, but adding to each gallon half a 

 pound of flour of sulphur; or use a solution of whale-oil 

 soap, containing from one-quarter to three-quarters of a 

 j)ound to the gallon, with half a pound of sulphur. If the 

 insects are not entirely subdued, after an interval of three or 

 four weeks a third application may be made. If the trees 

 require treatment while in bloom, it is safer to use the soap 

 solution, as the stronger alkaline washes sometimes injure the 

 tender growth. For scales on apjjle, pear, plum, cherry, 

 peach, apricot, and nectarine trees, the solutions may be used 

 one-third stronger, but may be made twice the ordinary 

 strength when applied with a brush to the trunk and limbs 

 only. 



During the earlier period of their growth, scale-insects 

 are readily destroyed by insecticides of moderate strength, 

 especially while in the active larval stage, but when the 

 tough scales are well formed they are much more difficult to 

 exterminate. While reproduction to some extent appears to 

 be ffoino; on from March to December with but little cessa- 

 tion, there is no doubt that the months of March, June, and 

 September mark the appearance of a very large proportion 

 of the successive broods ; hence, during these months, reme- 

 dies can be applied with the greatest advantage. Those pests 

 which are unprotected by scales, such as the mealy-bugs, can 

 be destroyed at any time with comparative ease by the use 

 of the alkaline or soap solutions. 



