1900] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 13 



ravages of the San Jo3e Soale. There are three thoasand acre3 in that island — almost one 

 continuous peach orchard, so that there was no more favorable spot for the spread of the 

 scale. At the begining of the experiments the owners had taken out, near the centre of 

 the district, about three thousand trees before they began to try this whale oil soap 

 experiment. Through the carefulness, persuasiveness and persistency of Mr. Owen, one 

 of Prof. Webster's pupils, the fruit-men in that district were forced, in spite of them- 

 selves, to spray. 



Dr Fletcher: How 1 ? 



Prop. Lochhead : Some of them did not believe in the soap treatment the first 

 season, but when they saw the improvement in the condition of their neighbors' trees 

 they sprayed the next year. Some of these men, when they saw the great improvement 

 that had been done, said that the San Jose Scale had been a blessing in disguise. I need 

 mot speak further along this line, but shall briefly state four very important conclusions 

 that J have been forced to draw from the work of this San Jose Scale Commission. 



First. The scale cannot be exterminated from the orchards of Ontario by the efforts 

 of either Government or people. 



Second. Any radical method that aims at extermination should be discontinued. T 

 mean by radical method the destruction of every tree that is infested. 



Third. From our experience in Ontario, and what I saw in Maryland in the spring, 

 I conclude that the scale is not quite so destructive in Ontario as it is in Maryland. We 

 have not had it so long here as the orchardists of Maryland have had it. We have had it 

 in Ontario seven or eight years, and although there has been quite a number of trees 

 killed, not more than one or two whole orchards have been killed outright ; while in 

 Maryland one hundred acre, and two hundred acre, and three hundred acre peach orchards 

 have been killed outright. At present we are not in a position to say whether the scale 

 will act in that way here or not, but from what we saw in Kingsville, and from what has 

 been seen in some other parts, it is possible it may become as destructive. I am inclined 

 to believe that the climatic conditions will reduce to some extent the full reproductive 

 capacity of the sc*le. I do not think it is possible that the scale will develope as rapidly 

 in this Ontario climate as it will in the south in Maryland. 



Mr. Dearness : It is likely to have one generation less. 



Prop. Lochhead : There is one peculiar feature which inspectors have observed, and 

 it is this, that the scale seems to gather force for two or three years without spreading, 

 and then all at once, like a plague, it breaks out and spreads rapidly. 



Fourth. The fourth conclusion is, that the scale can be held in check by the proper 

 soap solution properly administered. I need not rehearse what Prof. Webster has said. 

 He does not believe in letting the orchard men do this ; it must be done by a corps of 

 men emp^yed by a Government Superintendent appointed for carrying on this work. 

 Prof. Webster has given plenty of evidence of carelessness on the part of orchardmen, and 

 the Ontario orchardmen are no exception to the Ohio men in this respect. I must 

 repeat that the scale is a most pernicious one, and to say that it is no worse than the 

 oyster shell bark-louse, or some other pests, is an absurd position to take. Its life- 

 history and powers of reproduction are altogether different from the other pests. It is 

 true that the San Jose Scale is confined to the plums, pears, peaches and apples, 

 buo it has the power of reproducing on other plants, so that I cannot emphasize too 

 strongly the fact that this scale is a most p^raiious one ; aad I do not think we should 

 try to give out to the public that it is a pest at all overestimated. We must maintain 

 emphatically that it has not been overestimated if we want to preserve the orchards. 

 The scale is undoubtedly taking to our Province kinlly. We find it in sections in the 

 Lake Erie district ; how far north of that district there has been no chance to determine. 

 Ithas also been found at Belleville, and a few miles bick of Belleville. Bellevide has a 

 far colder climate than this district. 



This Society should do all in its power to inform the public with regard to the presence 

 of this pest, and I would suggest that every public school inspector in the province should 



