34 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1906 



lime and 15 jjounds of salt. This has been found to be as ef- 

 fective as any quantities that can be put together. This must 

 be boiled for a full hour and applied while still hot. Put into 

 50 gallons of water and spray over the trees. Few have facili- 

 ties for boiling these materials and it is very troublesome to ap- 

 ply. The properties are so caustic that it is not easy to handle 

 and it is troublesome to the horses if the spray blows upon 

 them. 



I will give you one that promises excellent results. It is 

 known as "Scalecide, " and it is simple to apply. It is manu- 

 factured by the G. P. Pratt Co., 11 Broadway, New York. 

 Send for circulars and you will get full information. This is a 

 soluble oil. It consists of 1 gallon of soluble petroleum put 

 into 20 gallons of water. Put on immediately. It works satis- 

 factorily ; it works at once. I think we have in this a simple 

 preparation that is easily applied and is not expensive. This 

 should be applied in the winter time upon the scales. On any 

 warm, pleasant days the trees having scales upon them should 

 be sprayed. In the autumn these scales are not advanced and 

 can be easily washed off, but to be very thorough I intend to 

 spray again in the spring. With two sprayings there need be 

 no injury to our trees or fruit, and I think that perhaps by the 

 autumn spraying, one very thorough spraying may be able to 

 give us protection. 



Kerosene must be applied very cautiously as it will injure 

 the trees otherwise. It must be used on a bright day. 



There are two insects that have interested your state greatly — 

 the gypsy moth and the brown tail moth — they are most for- 

 midable, and I have long thought that the state of Massachu- 

 setts should not be forced to fight these alone, because if these 

 spread over our country the harm we have experienced will be 

 as nothing to that which will follow. These insects are some- 

 thing to be greatly dreaded. 



I have here some specimens of the work of the brown tail 

 moth. Folded up in these leaves are some young caterpillars. 

 They are all ready to come out next sprmg. They will change 

 their skin several times before they reach the size of the full 



