OPEN LETTERS. 



ment it lias been to ourselves and thousands 

 more, we tliink it uan not be estimated. Flow- 

 ers are soul food for many, (io and visit 

 tliem before breakfast, and you surely will 

 find relief and profit in health and happiness. 



Spring's active work is to prepare our soil, 

 purchase our seeds, plants and vines ; then 

 when all are planted, our work is over, till 

 our tiny little plants make their appearance, 

 when we must work early and late to get our 

 reward. 



I will not attempt or advise the readers of 

 this Journal what to j)lant, as there are niany 

 flowering plants and shrubs, to suit the taste 

 and puq)ose of every lover of flowers ; and 

 therefore it would occupy too much valuable 

 space in these columns to enumerate all varie- 

 ties grown, and what purpose, location that 

 each planter required them for. 



Flower growing is fascinating, and a genu- 

 ine flower lover is never discouraged by fail- 

 ure, an<l would say to all, have flowers some- 

 how, no matter how limited your ground may 

 be. You cannot engage in a more healthful 

 work. If you have had disappointment, be 

 not discouraged, try again, it will be with 

 increased knowledge. Read, study and ob- 

 serve, and you will surely succeed that wrll 

 repay you for your trouble. 



E. HER.-iEE, Woodstock. 



Wild Native Stock for Grafting. 



(See Question 8gj.) 



Sir, — I would say, first, that there is more 

 strength of root in natives. I took some wild 

 trees, 1 i inches in diameter, cut them oflf at 

 the collar and inserted two scions in each. 1 

 raised a mound around them so that the 

 scions rooted also, and thus I had the strength 

 of both roots. The result was a very rapid 

 growth One scion grew seven feet high the 

 hrst year and bore fruit the second year. 

 Some years I have sold over thirteen bushels 

 off those six trees. J have bought (juitc a 

 number of trees from nurseries, but have got 

 more good from those six trees than from all 

 the others. 



John D.\lgarn-o. 



More Notes on the San Jose Scale. 



■Sir, — The article on the San Jose Scale in 

 the March HoKTiorLTinisT sounds a timely 

 note of warning to Canadian fruit growers, 

 and the resolution passed at the meeting in 

 .St. Catharines is a step In the right direction. 

 Action on the part of the (iovernment will 

 undoubtedly be necessary before long, and 

 the growers generally should familiarize them 

 selves with the bearings of the whole subject, 

 and keep up a wholesome agitation on the 

 question. 



The Ohio legislature last year repealed its 

 " Peach Yellows and Black Knot" Act, and 



passed a new Act providing for the eradica- 

 tion of those two diseases, but including also 

 the San Jose Scale. A special bulletin (Xo. 

 ~i) was ordered by the State to be prepared 

 and published by the State Experinrent SU- 

 tion, which contains a detailed description of 

 the new pest. 



There has been more or less confusion as 

 to the history of the Scale and as to the rem- 

 edies necessary, so it might be well to point 

 out a few of the main facts. 



The Government Entomologist at Wash- 

 ington, Mr. L. 0. Howard, has not only tho- 

 roughly worked out the life history of the 

 insect, but has carried out an exhaustive 

 series of experiments with a vast number of 

 washes. A complete record of these experi- 

 ments was prepared for Inatct Lift, by C. L 

 Marlatt, the Assistant Entomologist, and 

 may be found in No. 5, vol. vii. of that pub- 

 lication. 



The San Jose Scale is similar in some res- 

 pects to the Oyster Shell Bark Louse, to 

 which it is nearly allied : l>ut there are one 

 or two important difl'erences, which make 

 the San .Jose .Scale infinitely harder to exter- 

 minate. The Bark Louse has but one hrood 

 a year and winters over in the egg state. 

 The San Jose Scale is viviparous — that is, it 

 does not lay eggs — and there are several 

 liroods during the year. The female winters 

 over in the nearly full-grown condition. It 

 commences to bring forth living young in 

 May, and continues the process day "after day 

 for six weeks. By that time some of its pro- 

 geny are also breeding ; from 38 to 40 days 

 being about the time occupied by a single 

 generation. 



Three female .Scales if left unmolested on a 

 tree would probably kill the tree in three or 

 four years. These facts indicate the rapidity 

 with which this new enemy increases and the 

 consequent difficulty of controlling it. 



Kerosene emulsion applied in May and 

 June has been recommended ; but the diluted 

 emulsion, while fatal to the crawling larvae, 

 will not destroy all the .Scales ; and as the 

 young larva- have formed a protective scale 

 two days after birth, this remedy would not 

 be satisfactory unless it were applied day 

 after day for a long period. Pure kerosene 

 emulsion even, is not always fatal to all the 

 Scales, and will seriously liurt a peach tree. 

 In the experiments I have referred to, of 

 which there were more than forty in number, 

 a great many washes and emulsions were 

 used, including all the California washes. 

 The following conclusions were arrived at. 



1. The California washes are hardly effec- 

 tive in the East, even when the usual strength 

 is doubled. 



■J. Lye washes are too expensive when 

 used at the necessary strength, and then the 

 health '"i the tree is endangered. 



3. Pure kerosene kills the Scales, and the 

 peach tree, too. The apple might stand it 

 in midwinter, but an element of risk is in- 

 troduced. 



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