II 



Imife blade obliquely against the infested bark, and press- 

 ing firmly, draw it a short distance over the suspected 

 area. Should scale insects be beneath, a yellowish fluid 

 will be crushed from their bodies. Such twigs should be 

 sent to some entomologist for examination, as that is the 

 only certain way of establishing the identity of the trouble. 

 The San Jose scale breeds almost continuously in this lati- 

 tude from about the 20th of June till into October, Novem- 

 ber or even into December, depending largely upon the 

 Tveather. It is enormously prolific and, under favorable con- 

 ditions, may multiply to such a great extent as to nearly 

 min trees within two or three years. The extended breed- 

 ing season has made it necessary to resort to what are known 

 as winter washes for the control of this pest, and it is grat- 

 ifying to state that in the case of the lime-sulfur wash we 

 have a material which may be applied to dormant trees and 

 not only destroy this insect but also prove of considerable 

 value in checking the destructive pear psylla and certain 

 fungous troubles. All things considered, there is no better 

 method of controlling San Jose scale in this latitude, than 

 "by thorough and timely spraying with a lime-sulfur wash. 

 This material is one of the cheapest and most effective in- 

 secticides we have and possesses in addition, valuable fungi- 

 cidal properties. Researches conducted by our State Ex- 

 periment Station have shoAvn that an early spring applica- 

 tion of a lime-sulfur wash followed by two or three spray- 

 ings with a poisoned bordeaux mixture, gives almost ideal 

 ■protection from both insect pests and fungous diseases. 



The present seems a most fitting time to urge a moderate 

 conservatism on the part of our fruit growers. The past 

 decade has seen a wonderful increase in the demand for 

 various insecticides and fungicides, and experience has 

 •demonstrated beyond question what certain standard prep- 

 arations will accomplish. Naturally we are all interested 

 in securing the best insecticide or fungicide and wish to 

 use the same at once. There has been in recent years a 

 most urgent demand for better methods of controlling s-'.a.le 

 insects in particular. This stimulus has lead many experi- 

 'raent stations and private individuals to make various tests, 

 ;and a number of commercial firms have put on the market, 

 •preparations of one kind or another, some possessing con- 

 siderable merit. The true value of an insecticide can not 

 "be demonstrated beyond question till it has been subjected 

 to the tests of several years. 



