,,8 FRUITS AND VEGETAGLES UNDER GLASS 



is wonderful to observe how Nature will guard lier creatures against detection, 

 for the cocoon is of very nearly the same color as the soil, and therefore not 

 easily seen. These wasp-like insects mate soon after their emergence, and the 

 female commences at once to deposit her eggs indiscriminately on the trunk or 

 in the crevices of the bark. The moths may be seen flying around during the 

 day, but it is almost impossible to catch them owing to their agility. The female 

 is somewhat larger than the male. It is also nearly impossible to detect the 

 eggs. They will hatch in about ten days from the time they are deposited. 

 The young larvae at once make their way into the crevices of the bark, and, 

 if not disturbed, will eventually bore into the trees, keeping up their destructive 

 operations until the cold weather sets in again. As a preventive the trees may 

 be painted around the base or trunk with a mixture of lime and sulphur with a 

 little salt; this last named ingredient will cause the other two to adhere more 

 firmly to the stem or the trunk. Take one and one-half pounds of lime to one 

 pound of sulphur, with one-third pound of salt. This is about the same pro- 

 portion as the lime and sulphur formula. The amount given here will be enough 

 to make four gallons of wash. Slake the lime in a vessel containing hot water, 

 about one-third of the total required. Add the sulphur while the lime is slak- 

 ing; it will mi.x easier if it has been previously made into a thick paste. Add 

 the salt last. This may be allowed to cook over a slow fire for a time, stirring 

 once in a while. Then add enough water to the mi.xture to make about four 

 gallons. While I do not say that this is a sure cure for the borer, it will act as 

 a preventive and check its spreading. It may be applied with a spray pump or 

 or brush; the former will reach the crevices better. The operation is a simple 

 one, takes little time, and positively does not injure the trees. 



San Jose scale was brought east from California about twenty-five years 

 ago, and ten years ago it began to spread so rapidly that it almost seemed as 

 if the fruit trees were doomed. My first experience with it dates back about 

 fourteen years. I had at that time some Peaches and Nectarines in tubs, and 

 as the pest was new to me, it got beyond my control, with the result that the 

 trees were chopped down and burned. This was not a bad thing to do at the 

 time, as I did not know how to fight them, and they seemed to thrive on the 

 ordinary remedies. But, thanks to the valuable information given out by our 

 Experiment Stations, especially in connection with indoor fruit, this pest now 

 causes us little worry. 



The scale must be fought when it is first detected. If the trees are allowed 

 to become infested, the scale will play havoc with the bark, causing it to appear 

 dried up, and it will suck the life out of the trees. Hydrocyanic acid gas will 

 easily keep the scale down. This fumigation must be done while the trees are 

 perfectly dormant. The Peach and Nectarine will stand a considerable amount 

 of gas when the buds are dormant, with seemingly no injury to the buds. They 

 may be kept fairly free from scale by light fumigation every year. It calls for 

 very little work. Be careful to stop up all crevices, for if the gas escapes into 

 an adjoining house, it may do damage to a growing crop. I have used ten ounces 

 of cj'anide of potassium fused 50 per cent, for every 1000 cubic feet of space, 

 with no apparent injury to the trees. But I prefer to use the gas before the 



