ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO- 93 



Now here was a strious state of affairs indeed. An official entomologist, whom I 

 had known for years, had given the information, and here was a firm assuming their in- 

 nocence, and being compelled to go over a whole nursery with a microscope, in fruitless 

 search after the San Jose* scale. Gentlemen, did any of you ever attempt to go over a 

 tree with a microscope 1 And do you remember how much time it required to accomplish 

 the task ; how tiresome it was and how weary you were long before you had finished ? 

 Yet here were men compelled to go over a whole nursery, because of an unj ust accusa- 

 tion. I promptly sent a copy of the letter of the Lovett people to the New Jersey Ex- 

 periment Station and asked them to explain the matter. They were able to explain 

 everything except the conduct of the firm, but at that were as much astounded as I was, 

 and again reiterated the statement in regard to the examination with the President and 

 Secretary of the company the preceding September. A month later, in February of the 

 present year, Dr. L'ntner, State Entomologist of New York, asked then to furnish a list 

 of their sales in his State — such as had been freely and gladly done by the Parry 

 Brothers — explaining at the time its character and the value it would possess in undo 

 ing the wrong that they hal unintentionally done. After much delay and dickering, the 

 Entomologist of the New Jersey Station received the following modest proposition : " If 

 he (Prof. Lintner) will send us, or you either, a remittance of $250, we will attempt to 

 make the examination desired. But we want a clear uider3tanding before we bpgin as 

 to the settlement of cost of sending the list he requires." I need hardly say that the 

 money was never sent for there is little doubt but that the list would have been as 

 " sea ley " as their trees. Public indignation, however, had been rapidly increasing, and 

 on February 22nd, the Entomologist of the Experiment Station accompanied by a mem- 

 ber of the editorial staff of the Rural New Yorker, paid this nursery a visit of investi- 

 gation, and found that while some more or less effective means had been employed to 

 destroy the scale, there was ample evidence of a carelessness that in many countries 

 would have been considered criminal and cost the firm their plant, if, indeed, imprison- 

 ment were not added. I can only repeat here what I said of the action of the first- 

 mentioned firm : it will be a long time before the people will forget these things, and all 

 statements of the Lovett Company will be taken on probation, which probation will, if 

 I mistake not, be a protracted one. 



Even while the foregoing developments were proceeding, we became aware that there 

 was another locality of distribution of this pest; viz-, Long Island, N.Y.; and it was 

 toward this part of his State that Dr. J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist, turned his 

 attention, with the hope of protecting his people from having the scale distributed among 

 their orchards and farms by Long Island nurserymen. 



Dr. Lintner was only faithfully carrying out the duties of his office, and went about 

 doing that duty in a moderate, conscientious manner, that ought to have received the 

 unqualified support of every fruit grower and nurseryman in his State. But he soon 

 found that he had the same diversity of character to deal with as had been revealed in 

 New Jersey. Of the nine nurseries located on the island, but three were found to have 

 become infested, and these, as given in a recent bulletin from the New York State 

 Museum (Vol. 3, No. 13) are owned and operated by Fred. Boulon, S3a Cliff; Keene <k 

 Foulk, Bloodgiod Nursery, Flushing; and Parsons & Son, also of Flushing. The first 

 named, though moving in a somewhat dilatory way, finally destroyed his worst infested 

 trees and sprayed so that it is hoped that no infested stock will be distributed. Of the 

 actions taken by the second named firm, Dr. Lintner, in his bulletin ab^ve referred to, 

 speaks in terms of highest praise. As soon as this firm learned of the presence of the 

 scale on their premises they promptly burned the worst in'ested trees and sprayed the 

 remainder, besides asking for instructions and directions in regard to methods of sup- 

 pression, they have promptly carried out every one of these, making every effort possible to 

 protect their customers, offering on request to replace at half price all trees sold from 

 their nursery, during previous 'years, that were found infested by the San Jose scale. 

 There seems to b) no reason why this fi-m should not continue to enjoy the confi- 

 dence and pitronage of the public. Th9 last firm mentioned, Messrs Parsons & S ms, 

 cho3e an opposite course, and I may add, deserve opposite treatment. From the first. 



