1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 19 



left to the fruit-growers throughout the country, if that is done by the Government it is 

 simply throwing up the sponge, and I believe it means the wiping out of the fruit industry 

 throughout. the Niagara Peninsula for a long time, because I maintain that the San Jose 

 Scale is still with all of our latest knowledge one of the worst enemies we have ever had 

 to fight against. 



The treatment of it, if persisted in as it must be to succeed, is expensive and more 

 trouble than these people will go to as a class. Let me give you one instance. Every 

 fruit-grower knows that he can save fifty per cent, of his apples by spraying to prevent 

 the codling-moth injury. I ask you, gentlemen, to think among your acquaintances how 

 many ever spray. It is true ten years ago there were perhaps not more than one hundred 

 spraying pumps in the country ; now there are perhaps a hundred thousand, That means 

 we have some thousands of good business men who want to save their money ; but are 

 there not hundreds of thousands who don't do it, and that with a big caterpillar nearly an 

 inch long which they can easily see ? That being the case how can we expect that they 

 will do it with an insect you cannot see, except by the use of a microscope, even when 

 the trees are swarming with them 1 



I agree with Mr. Lochhead in everything he said. The Scale is not quite so destruc- 

 tive in Ontario as in Maryland. I have here a photograph of an orchard of 28,000 trees, 

 absolutely destroyed in three years from the time they were infested. What was the 

 value of thf se trees 1 An average of $5.00 apiece at the very lowest estimate. They 

 were wiped out in three years and the whole orchard wiped away. That is what the San 

 Jose Scale can do in the South. 



Then we have some accurate statistics telling us about the rate of increase of the 

 Scale, The increase of the Scale in Maryland and the Southern States is 300,000,000 

 from one in a jear ; let us reduce that, because we are further to the North, and aay it is 

 annually increased half of that number, 150,000,000 from one in Ontario, is that not 

 enough? Is not 150 millions from one insect enough of an increase in a year 1 Then 

 they say it is not likely to come up here in the North and do barm. The plague of London 

 is ihesame black plague of Asia, but it spread up into England and in 1665 wiped out 

 the greater part of the population of London. We know the San Jose Scale is a bad 

 enemy and we do not want to play with it. 



We have got it now measureably under control and we should let the Ontario 

 Government go on doing what they have done, and as I say, every member of this Society 

 ought to back them up in doing it. The Ontario Government has certainly been a benefit 

 to the whole country in this matter, not only to Ontario but the whole country, and I s'ay 

 we should back them up and say that we appreciate the great efforts they have made and 

 I do hope Mr. Dryden may long be the Minister of Agriculture to carry on the admini- 

 stration of the department. I am not a politician. 1 am a Government servant. I 

 never cast a vote and as long as that is the case never mean to. I do not care whether 

 a man is a Liberal or a Conservative. It is nothing to me; but I say here is a 

 man who is a good servant doing good work for the country and work that has been done 

 in the best way, and to stop or hesitate now is bad for the country. What are we going 

 to do in the future? I say let us help him. We have with us to-day Professor Webster: 

 we have known him for a great many years ; one of the first economic entomologists in 

 the world ; one of the first in America and that means the world, because with the 

 exception of Miss Ormerod they "hardly know what economic entomology is on the other 

 side of the water. Mr. Webster is a man that would tell the President of the United 

 States: — "You are wrong," just the same as he would me or any other insignificant 

 person, if he thought so. We have him here and if he advises us as to the best treatment, 

 let us listen to him. Experience has taught us, there are two good things — treatment 

 with hydrocyanic acid gas and spraying with kerosene. These are so difficult to use safely 

 that people won't, I feel sure, take the necessary trouble. In the whale oil soap we 

 have a remedy easy to use, not very expensive, but a little more expense than our 

 fruit growers will go to after the first year. They are not going to pay the price of even 

 three cents a pound for the amount which will be necessary to control the pest after 

 the first year. 



