44 



materials and make the applications. He was convinced that to get 

 good results it will be necessary for each, farmer to make the soap for 

 himself. He had found also that Leggett's soap was excellent in quality 

 and thoroughly satisfactory, killing the scales completely, but that it 

 was much too expensive for practical use on a large scale. He said that 

 some farmers have already had very good results with soaps made by 

 themselves. He was of the opinion that as a rule farmers will be quite 

 willing to undertake the manufacture of soap, especially as they would 

 be in the majority of cases more willing to assume the trouble of manu- 

 facture rather than go to the expense of purchasing soap from some 

 dealer. In California a soap containing a definite composition is 

 demanded, and a method of determining the amount of moisture, viz, 

 by drying, is practiced. 



Referring to the recommendation of Mr. Marlatt of the arsenite of 

 lead in preference to the arsenate, Mr. Smith further stated that the 

 easy preparation of the latter is an argument in favor of its use by 

 farmers, the preparation of the arsenite being more difficult and 

 attended with some risk of poisoning if undertaken by persons unfa- 

 miliar with the precautions necessary, lieferring to Mr. Webster's 

 report of the use of kerosene pure on the trees, he was of the opinion 

 that such ax^plication would kill the trees outright. 



In answer to a question from Mr. Howard, Mr. Smith stated that 

 wetting the bark of trees with kerosene and firing it to kill scale insects 

 had in his experience been satisfactory and had not worked injury to 

 the plants. The treatment can only be made on an absolutely calm 

 day. With even a little breeze blowing the kerosene will not burn 

 on the windy side. On smooth barked trees where the bark is green 

 and healthy the kerosene will not burn at all, and it is only on trees 

 that have a certain amount of dead surface bark or have it covered 

 with lichens, mosses, or the like that one can get any satisfactory 

 burning. Practically the measure is useless except on old trees. 



Mr. Kir kland, referring to the common method of preparing arsenate 

 of lead, stated that if the crude acetate of lead be used, which is con- 

 siderably cheaper than the refined article, it will be necessary to dis 

 solve it in warm water, as it will not dissolve readily in cold water. He 

 also referred to the danger of arsenical poisoning attending the manu- 

 facture of arsenite of lead by farmers and others who are not used to 

 handling the substance and are not supplied with proper apparatus, 



Mr. Lintner, referring to Mr. Howard's paper on the elm leaf-beetle, 

 stated that he still held to his former conclusions that the larva? of the 

 elm leaf-beetle do not drop to the ground in any numbers. He was not 

 by any means convinced that the case referred to by Mr. Howard of 

 the presence of pupa? on horse-chestnut was at all conclusive. He said 

 that the larva? have a very great rlimbing tendency, instancing a 

 number of cases corroborating this fact. He had taken in one instance 

 no less than 21 larva? from a deserted cocoon of Orgyia on the trunk of 

 a tree. He said that there was an undoubted second brood of the elm 



