23 
vicinity of Albany, N. Y., the assertion quoted is too sweeping in its 
character. 
This spring a series of tests were begun with the avowed purpose of 
learning the best method of controlling the San Jose scale in orchards. 
During the progress of this work trees were treated with mechanical 
mixtures of water and kerosene and with crude petroleum in a similar 
manner, using 20 and 25 per cent of the oils, which were applied with 
a Gould’s kero-water sprayer. A few trees were treated with undi- 
luted kerosene and others with undiluted crude petroleum. A num- 
ber of trees were treated with whale-oil soaps. Leggett’s Anchor 
brand and Good’s caustic potash whale-oil soap No. 3 were each used 
at the rate of 25 pounds to a gallon of water. A combination of 
whale-oil soap and crude petroleum was also used on a number of 
trees, the proportions being 1 pound of the soap to 4 gallons of water 
and to 10 gallons of the soap solution 1 gallon of crude petroleum. 
A kero-water sprayer was on the ground and it was therefore easier to 
prepare the soap solution and arrange the apparatus to deliver 10 per 
cent of crude petroleum. ‘This produced an emulsion as it passed 
through the nozzle. In addition to these, 12 trees were treated with 
hydrocyanic acid gas, using from 1 pound of the cyanide to 75 cubic 
feet to 1 pound to 150 cubic feet of space. The spraying was mostly 
done on April 11, though the fumigation was delayed until the 19th 
to 21st of April, at which time the buds had started some. This work 
was performed in a mixed orchard of over 100 young pear, peach, plum, 
and cherry trees, where the San Jose scale had been for about eight 
years, and the trees presented, therefore, every degree of infestation. 
Unfortunately, it was necessary to confine the use of the undiluted ker- 
osene and crude petroleum to the worst infested trees. It is yet early 
to pass upon the effectiveness of these substances as insecticides and, 
therefore, only the effects on the trees will be considered at this time. 
The spraying with the insecticides occurred just before the buds 
began to open, and with the exception of the trees treated with undi- 
luted kerosene or crude petroleum very few or no harmful effects 
were observed. Examination of the experimental orchard eight days 
after spraying, showed that as a rule the trees were budding out. 
Those treated with kerosene gave little indication of the presence of 
the oil on the bark, while the dark color of those treated with crude 
petroleum was very apparent, a condition which persisted till June 20 
at least. The whale-oil soaps showed to a considerable extent, the 
bark of the trees treated with Good’s being moist, while many of those 
sprayed with Leggett’s showed a white incrustation. The harmless- 
ness of a mechanical 20 per cent kerosene emulsion applied at this 
time is well shown in the cherry tree No. 3, photographed May 12 ° 
while in full bloom. Tree 15, a Seckel pear, photographed May 14, 
shows well the harmlessness of 2 mechanical 20 per cent crude petro- 
