﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I9OO 
  967 
  

  

  EXPERIMENTAL 
  WORK 
  WITH 
  INSECTICIDES 
  

  

  There 
  has 
  been 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  demand 
  for 
  precise 
  

   information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  methods 
  of 
  fighting 
  scale 
  insects 
  specially 
  the 
  

   San 
  Jos6 
  or 
  pernicious 
  scale, 
  Aspidiotus 
  perniciosus 
  Comst*. 
  

   Very 
  little 
  experimental 
  work 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  this 
  insect 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   state 
  before 
  this 
  year, 
  and, 
  as 
  this 
  serious 
  pest 
  had 
  become 
  established 
  

   in 
  several 
  large 
  orchards 
  in 
  the 
  state, 
  and 
  as 
  some 
  owners 
  were 
  having 
  in- 
  

   different 
  success 
  in 
  combating 
  it, 
  the 
  state 
  entomologist 
  was 
  almost 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  this 
  work. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  important 
  matter, 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  the 
  San 
  Jos^ 
  scale 
  has 
  already 
  showed 
  itself 
  not 
  only 
  hardy 
  in 
  our 
  

   climate 
  but 
  capable 
  of 
  inflicting 
  very 
  serious 
  damage. 
  The 
  eradication 
  

   of 
  this 
  insect 
  is 
  now 
  an 
  utter 
  impossibihty. 
  The 
  corps 
  of 
  nursery 
  in- 
  

   spectors 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  department 
  of 
  agriculture 
  have 
  been 
  doing 
  good 
  

   work 
  in 
  detecting 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  and 
  in 
  destroying 
  infested 
  

   trees. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  this, 
  inspection 
  can 
  not, 
  nor 
  does 
  it 
  attempt 
  to, 
  

   guaranty 
  absolute 
  immunity 
  from 
  the 
  pest. 
  There 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  chance 
  

   of 
  overlooking 
  a 
  few 
  scales, 
  and 
  that, 
  taken 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  greater 
  

   chance 
  of 
  receiving 
  scale 
  on 
  stock 
  brought 
  from 
  other 
  states, 
  should 
  render 
  

   every 
  purchaser 
  very 
  careful 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  and 
  where 
  he 
  buys. 
  The 
  

   presence 
  of 
  this 
  scale 
  insect 
  in 
  orchards 
  of 
  such 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  hope- 
  

   less 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  indication 
  that 
  many 
  fruit- 
  

   growers 
  will 
  within 
  a 
  decade 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  fight 
  this 
  insect 
  on 
  their 
  

   own 
  premises 
  or 
  lose 
  their 
  crops. 
  This 
  pest 
  has 
  been 
  established 
  near. 
  

   Albany 
  some 
  eight 
  years 
  or 
  more, 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  period 
  it 
  has 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  in 
  overrunning 
  a 
  small 
  fruit 
  orchard, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  killed 
  many 
  cur- 
  

   rant 
  bushes 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  trees, 
  besides 
  ruining 
  others. 
  It 
  also 
  oc- 
  

   curs 
  on 
  adjoining 
  premises, 
  and 
  has 
  become 
  established 
  over 
  so 
  large 
  an 
  

   area 
  that, 
  even 
  were 
  this 
  the 
  only 
  infested 
  spot 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  state, 
  

   which 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  truth, 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  heroic 
  measures 
  would 
  

   stamp 
  out 
  the 
  pest. 
  The 
  fruit-trees 
  were 
  young, 
  and, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   cessibility 
  of 
  the 
  place, 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  good 
  for 
  experimental 
  work 
  in 
  

   orchards. 
  There 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few 
  trees 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Albany, 
  and, 
  therefore 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  opportunity 
  for 
  work 
  under 
  

   conditions 
  obtaining 
  in 
  a 
  nursery, 
  though 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  as 
  

   valuable 
  to 
  the 
  nurserymen 
  as 
  to 
  tiie 
  orchardist. 
  

  

  The 
  experimental 
  orchard 
  is 
  a 
  rectangular 
  piece 
  of 
  ground 
  about 
  75 
  

   by 
  475 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  light 
  loamy 
  strip 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  slight 
  knoll 
  

   and 
  having 
  a 
  southwestern 
  slope 
  toward 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river. 
  The 
  general 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  their 
  size, 
  variety 
  and 
  degree 
  of 
  mfestation 
  are 
  

  

  