THE SAN JOSE SCALE 



Fig. 1568. — The Delegation who discussed San .Iose Scale. 



HS has already been stated, this 

 country has narrowly escaped 

 the general introduction of 

 this terrible insect from Am- 

 erican nurseries. Before we were aware 

 of the danger several large lots of 'trees 

 were imported and distributed, that 

 were affected by this tiny insect. In 1896 

 an orchard near the border, belonging 

 to a member of our Association, Mr. 

 Chas. Thonger,was found to be infested, 

 and immediately our executive called 

 upon both the Provincial and the Do- 

 minion Ministers of Agriculture to send 

 competent men to examine and report. 

 A. large number of fruit growers, ac- 

 companied by Dr. Fletcher, of Ottawa, 

 and Prof. Panton, of Guelph, proceeded 

 to Mr Thonger's farm, and found the 

 report only too true, and that a large num- 

 ber of his pear and peach trees were 



infested. Our illustration shows the 

 delegation, met under a grand old oak, 

 to discuss the situation. Mr. Thonger 

 is the prominent figure, while on his 

 right are Prof. Panton and Dr. Fletcher; 

 at his feet, Mr. D. J. McKinnon, of 

 Grimsby, and at his left, Mr. \V. M Orr, 

 E. D. Smith, Mr. Armstrong, the writer 

 and others. Strong resolutions were 

 made, and sent to the Ministers of Agri- 

 culture, and as a result, every tree im- 

 ported from the United States during 

 the last five years is being carefully 

 located and examined and if there be 

 any trace of scale, utterly destroyed. 



The superintendent of this work is 

 Mr. George E. Fisher, of Burlington, a 

 man who never allows difficulties to 

 hinder him, and who is sparing no labor 

 or expense, to make it sure that Ontario 

 is clean of the ugly insect. The San 

 3° 



