280 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENING 



San Jose Scale. — This is one of the worst enemies of 

 many kinds of fruit trees and ornamental plants. Large 

 orchards were formerly destroyed by this enemy. The insects 

 multiply very readily throughout the warm summer months 

 and are cheeked only by cold weather. A very few in a garden 

 or orchard in early spring may increase in such numbers as 

 to destroy or seriously injure the growth of the trees before 

 fall. 



Remedies of several kinds are now known. If properly 

 applied they will keep the scale in check and no serious 

 damage will be done. 



Soluble oil is on the market under different trade names. 

 These are preparations in which the water and oil are caused 

 to mix with each other readily by the use of certain chemicals. 

 When these are used as sprays for San Jose scale they are ap- 

 plied in winter or very early spring before the leaves appear. 

 Directions accompanying them should be followed carefully 

 to avoid possible injury, as they vary in strength. 



Lime-sulfur sprays are very successful in combating this 

 insect. One application should be made in winter or early 

 spring before the buds of the trees begin to swell and another 

 in June or July before the young, tender insects cover them- 

 selves with the hard scale. The summer spray is made very 

 weak to avoid injury to the leaves. Special directions should 

 be carefully followed, as the strengths for winter and summer 

 use are widely different. 



Diseases, such as apple scab, peach scab, brown rot of 

 peaches (Fig. 143) and others, are kept in control by the use 

 of lime-sulfur when fighting the scale insect (Fig. 138). 



Cut-worms. — Early spring gardens are often badly 

 attacked by cut-worms. These larvse work at night and eat 

 the young plants off near the surface of the ground. They 

 may be poisoned by sprinkling a bait around the plants. This 

 is made of one teaspoonful of Paris green mixed with one 

 quart of bran moistened with sweetened water. The worms 



