38 



fifteen parts of water, or 1 pound of resin in about 16 gallons of water. 

 (The former mixtures were somewhat stronger ; 1 pound of resin in 

 9 pints of liquid.) The action upon the Phylloxera is much more 

 marked and with a mixture of one part of compound in thirty parts of 

 water the insects, if immersed for a few seconds only and left exposed, 

 will die, notwithstanding this solution will not adhere to parts of the 

 roots, not having at this strength the required penetrating power which 

 a sufficiently strong solution, say about 1 pound resin in 15 gallons of 

 water, has, and more so than any other insecticide I know of. The 

 experiments were made on 25-year-old Tokay vines (the only ones re- 

 maining that have withstood the ravages of the Phylloxera), in loamy 

 soil, which was completely dry and hard at this time of the year, no 

 moisture being noticeable until a depth of from 10 to 12 inches below 

 the surface was reached. 



In all cases the ground was removed to a depth of about 6 inches, 

 forming a hole 4 feet in diameter. Ten gallons of the solution, it was 

 observed, penetrated here to 12 inches in depth around the roots where 

 the hole was deepest, or about 18 inches from original surface of ground, 

 and most of the insects were destroyed to about 16 inches in depth, if 

 the 10 gallons contained 4 pints of compound. In the later experiments 

 these holes were made only about 2 feet in diameter, and nearly if not 

 the same results were obtained with only half the amount or 5 gallons 

 of the mixture. This is more practical, as the chief roots only are 

 reached and the solution can be used so much stronger. The less 

 solution required the better, providing it will do the work, for at 10 gal- 

 lons to each plant this would mean 7,000 gallons or over per acre. If 

 the solution is applied at another time of the year, say early spring, 

 when rain is still expected, the results undoubtedly will be still more 

 favorable. I have had excellent results with solutions prepared with 

 caustic soda by using 4 i>ints of this to 16 pints of water only and ap- 

 plying 5 gallons of water soon after and 5 gallons the following day. 

 This destroyed the Phylloxera to nearly the depth the fluid reached. 

 Thus it will be seen if a small amount of the mixture, sufficiently strong, 

 be applied in early spring the following rains will do the rest. As it 

 was, with the dry soil, the 4 pints of compound in 10 gallons of diluent 

 did better work than the same amount of compound in only 5 gallons, 

 for the simple reason that it penetrated farther and thus reached more 

 of the insects in sufficient strength to kill. It must also be remembered 

 that a completely dry soil will take up a large amount of the 1 quid, 

 whereas in a moist soil this is not the case. 



The compounds were prepared as formerly, sal soda 3 pounds, resin 4 

 pounds, dissolved together with 1 quart of water, and water added 

 slowly while boiling to make 40 pints. The caustic soda, which comes 

 in 10-pound tin cans, is dissolved in 4 gallons of water, after which 4 

 gallons more should be added. This lye will dissolve 100 pounds of 

 resin and make 125 gallons of compound, sufficient for 250 plants, and 



