REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I906 5 1 



but that the Hmoid-soda combination destroyed many scale insects, 

 though it was not as efficient as a wash where good quickHmc 

 was employed. 



A general survey of Mr L. L. Morrell's orchard at Kinderhook 

 showed that the same was in most excellent condition. This gentle- 

 man states that he has less scale on his trees than at any time in 

 the past six years, and the excellent condition of his orchard sus- 

 tains his statement. Mr Morrell is very well satisfied with the 

 lime-sulfur wash though he is convinced that nothing but most 

 thorough work, both in preparation and application, will give the 

 desired results. 



The control of this insect in old orchards is a problem that 

 demands further attention. Mr W. H. Hart of Poughkeepsie, who 

 has had this scale in an orchard of large trees for some years, 

 has succeeded in keeping the pest well within bounds provided 

 he was able to spray one side with the aid of a favorable breeze and 

 then treat the other when the wind was in an opposite direction. 

 This treatment was very satisfactory for the lower limbs and 

 branches, but with the apparatus at hand it was found almost im- 

 practicable to successfully spray the higher limbs ; consequently 

 some of these were badly infested by the scale and eventually 

 seriously injured. The tops of some of his large trees were mostly 

 removed in the spring of 1905 before spraying was attempted, 

 and during the summer they were in excellent condition. Certain 

 other trees had the tops at this time in a very poor condition owing 

 to injury by the scale and they were accordingly cut back in the 

 spring of 1906 with equally beneficial results. It appears very 

 probable that a large tree can be cut back to a greater extent than 

 has been hitherto thought possible, provided some care is exercised. 

 It may be that experience will show that this operation can be 

 more safely performed after the upper portion of the tree has 

 suffered somewhat from scale attack than if the attempt is made 

 to cut it back while the tree is in unabated vigor. ^ 



Several oil preparations, popularly known as " soluble oils," have 

 been put on the market in recent years, and some very sweeping 

 claims made in regard to the same. One of the foremost of these, 

 known as " scalicide," has been under observation during the season 

 and a rather large orchard of young trees in the Hudson river 

 valley was sprayed with this material. A few of the trees were 

 rather badly infested by the scale, but most of them were com- 

 paratively free. An examination of the infested trees in October 



