198 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



3-4 EDWARD VII., A. 1904 



latter should be sprayed at once with the ordinary one to nine kerosene emulsion or 

 with a whale-oil soap solution of one pound to six gallons of water. This will de- 

 stroy large numbers both of the nymphs and also of the mature insects. The most 

 eiiective work, however, is done during the winter, when nearly all of the adults resort 

 to the trunks and larger limbs for hibernation. In my report for 1900, at page 239, I 

 drew attention to some good work which had been done by Mr. Henry Lutz, of Youngs- 

 town, New York State, by spraying with a lime wash. In 1896 a large Duchess orchard 

 belonging to him was almost ruined. In February, 1897, the whole orchard was thor- 

 oughly sprayed with whitewash, and two years afterwards this orchard was almost 

 free from Psylla. Mr. Lutz explains his plan as follows : — ' During the cold weather 

 in December we spread a canvas under the trees and then scrape off all the rough bark. 

 This dislodges many of the torpid insects, which are burnt with the scrapings. We 

 then give the trees a thorough coating of slushy whitewash made of freshly slaked 

 lime that had been run off in a putty state, as masons usually make it for plastering. 

 We thin this with skimmed milk and put it on the trunks of the trees with a brush, 

 for those parts of the tree which we can reach. We thin down the whitewash with more 

 milk and then give the whole tree a thorough spraying. In this way we destroy a 

 large number of the hibernating Psyllas, and those which are not killed are so well 

 sealed up that they cannot get out to lay their eggs. We spray again in March to coat 

 the wood and buds, so that the few that are alive can find no favourable places to lay 

 their eggs. The orchard where we experimented contained 1,000 trees, which were prac- 

 tically worthless, but since we began using the lime the trees have steadily regained 

 their vigour.' 



The Pear-leaf Blister-mite (Fhytoptus pyri, Nalepa). — This enemy Ims now 

 spread to every part of the Dominion where pears are grown. Specimens were sent 

 from Prince Edward Island by Mr. E. J. McMillan, the secretary of Agriculture for 

 that province, and within the same week in June specimens came in for report from 

 the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Mr. E. P. Venables, writing from Vernon, B.C., 

 says: — 'Pears suffered from the attacks of the Pear-leaf Biister-mite. This insect 

 threatens to become a very serious enemy unless measures are taken to subdue it. I 

 found that the lime, sulphur and salt spray was very useful in destroying it. It was 

 applied just before the buds burst. One tree upon which the leaves were simply black 

 with the work of the mite, was treated thoroughly and the following year was prac- 

 tically free from the insect. A few branches at the top of the tree, however, were as 

 bad as ever. These had not been reached by the spray.' 



Frequent experiments have shown that the best treatment for this pest is spray- 

 ing the trees thoroughly with the lime, sulphur and salt wash just at the time the buds 

 are bursting. The mites pass the winter hidden away securely beneath the bud-scales, 

 which by the expanding of the buds in spring are opened up sufficiently to allow the 

 entrance of liquid. Kerosene emulsion is useful to a certain extent, but sulphur has 

 a specially fatal effect on all mites, and in practice the wash above mentioned has 

 proved the best remedy against the Pear-leaf Blister-mite. See below for receipt of 

 lime and sulphur wash at page 199. 



THE SAN JOSE SCALE (Aspidiotus permciosus, Comstock.) 



This notorious insect has done much harm in Ontario orchards during the past 

 season. The only part of Canada where the San Jose scale is now found as an orchard 

 pest is in the Niagara peninsula and in the counties along the north shore of the west- 

 ern end of Lake Erie. The infestation has, however, decidedly increased a great deal 

 during 1903, and has involved new orchards within the area known to be infested at the 

 end of 1902. It is a matter of congratulation that the pest has not spread beyond those 

 limits; for, altliough most of the leading fruit-growers seem to understand the danger 



