ECONOMIC WORK AGAINST HOWARD SCALE. 98 



The first spraying at Grand Junction against this pest was done 

 with whale-oil soap. In one orchard observed at that place it was 

 reported that three years ago over $1,000 worth of fruit was rejected 

 by the inspector of a local fruit growers' association on account of 

 the pears being rendered unsightly by scale pits and blotches caused 

 by the insect, aside from the dwarfed tree growth and cracked condi- 

 tion of the bark. The year following this a thorough spring spray- 

 ing with lime-sulphur wash reduced the injury to tree and fruit to 

 a point beneath practical notice. The treatment was repeated last 

 March, with the remarkable result that of a crop of 2.200 boxes of 

 choice and fancy pears packed this fall only 2 pears were encoun- 

 tered bearing scales. Last spring in the orchard section for a few 

 miles surrounding Grand Junction, one of the fruit districts of west- 

 ern Colorado, 40,000 pounds of sulphur were used by the members of 

 a single fruit growers* association, principally against the Howard 

 scale of the pear, besides a carload of 30,000 pounds of the ' ; Rex " 

 lime and sulphur concentrate introduced as an experiment. 



This season these same growers will consume a greatly increased 

 amount of sulphur, and have already placed their order for 5 car- 

 loads of the " Rex " product, aggregating over 400 barrels of the con- 

 centrate, sufficient when diluted with 11 times its volume of water, 

 to produce 4.400 barrels of spray. As a rule this will be applied with 

 gasoline power-spray outfits, nearly 200 of which are owned and 

 operated in the orchards about this one point mentioned. 



Economic entomology is enthusiastically practiced by the progres- 

 sive fruit growers of Colorado, and well it may be when her fancy 

 grade lime-sulphur sprayed Buerre de Anjou pears net the growers 

 $5.10 per box, as they have done this season when placed upon the 

 New York City market. 



In reply to an inquiry. Mr. Taylor stated that the Howard scale 

 was found on native trees, such as white ash. also on apple and plum. 

 He considered it quite a serious pest and that it might possibly be 

 shipped out on nursery stock. The danger, however, was somewhat 

 remote, as no stock was shipped east from Colorado. 



Mr. Titus remarked that this insect was probably a species native 

 to Colorado, as he had found it on native wild plum. 



Mr. Taylor stated that most of the spraying in Colorado was done 

 with gasoline spraying outfits, and that each outfit would cover about 

 20 acres of bearing orchard, lie had \\<ci\ the Res lime and sulphur 

 mixture with fair results. It was sold in Colorado for S12 a barrel. 



