76 FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 



Dr. Martin was of opinion, before I showed him the sound eggs to- 

 day, that he had destroyed their vitality by niedioatino; the trees last 

 summer. lie did it, thu?;: By boring a hole into the trunk at the sur- 

 face of the ground, then filling the hole with a compound of equal 

 parts of sulphur and bromide of potash, and then corking up the hole 

 tightly. He thinks it enters into the sap, and the circulation carries 

 it to the leaves, and kills the insects. I have no faith in it. I think 

 the safe way is to cut the trees down, or at lea:^t, cut off all the 

 branches and burn them. I never knew any benefit l)j trying to force 

 obnoxious or poisonotis substances into the circulation of sap in trees, 

 to kill or drive away borers, caterpillars, or other insects, and I have 

 known or heard of such trials all ray life. 



The trees are all covered at this time with a heavy ice, caused by 

 the recent sleet, which makes it difficult to examine them. I hope 

 there are no others but those mentioned; but a gentleman to-day told 

 me he believed he had them on one of his apple trees, about two miles 

 south-west of Kahoka. I hope he is mistaken, but still I fear they 

 may be there. [Afterward ascertained to be the native white spe- 

 cies, Ilarn'sh: Walsh — C. V. R] 



Dr. Martin requested me to urge you to coine up as soon aS possi- 

 ble, and give them your personal inspection, and suggest some remedy 

 by which he can, if possible, save his trees. 



Please do not fail to come up before the eggs hatch next spring. 

 Write to me and let me know just when you will be here, so that I 

 and the Dr. may be sure to be at home. 



Yours for the public good, 



B. F. HANAN. 



Clark City, Mo., Dec. 4th, 1873. 



I shall certainly do all in my power next summer to try and check 

 the spread of this scourge ; and should this Report fall into the hands 

 of others in the neighborhood of Kahoka, whose trees are affected, I 

 hope such persons will be kind enough to inform me of the fact, and 

 to give me as full particulars as possible. 



• Upon subsequent examination, Mr. Ilanan could not find any 

 scales on Dr. Martin's plum and apricot trees; but some of the pear 

 twigs which he sent me were sparsely covered with scales. These 

 scales were invariably in a transverse position to the axis of the twig, 

 and usually between the natural transverse rugosities, so as to be 

 easily overlooked ; and they were, furthermore, smaller and evidently 

 less thrifty than on the Apple, as was shown by the unhealthy condi- 

 tion of their eggs, which were few in number and mostly dead and 

 discolored, though no evidence of violence from mites or other ene- 

 mies could be detected. 



The third conclusion — namely, that the insect could not thrive in 

 the southern half of the State — was, unfortunately, an erroneous one; 

 for though at^parently incapable of living in St. Louis county, this louse 

 has in reality a much more southern range, being found in at least one 

 county in the extreme southern part of the State, and even in Missis- 

 sippi and Georgia. 



