REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



333 



The official remedy, promulgated by the State inspector of fruit 

 pests, consists of an application of caustic soda lye, 1 pound to 1 gallon 

 of water, or concentrated lye and water in equal parts. This, according 

 to the official report, " temporarily burns the foliage and new wood, 

 but the trees afterward made new growth. 3 It is recommended for 

 application only in winter, when deciduous fruit trees are dormant. 

 For summer use, a mild application of whale-oil soap and sulphur, with 

 tobacco decoction, is recommended. This " so cheeks the ravages of 

 the scale as to prevent its spread to other trees during the season, and 

 in some cases proves an entire success in the destruction of the pest.? 

 This treatment must be followed up in winter with the scorching ap- 

 plication of lye before mentioned.* 



However, a reconsideration of the respective merits of lye and kero- 

 sene washes may soon be expected on the part of California!! fruit- 

 growers. Dr. F. S. Chapin, the chief horticultural officer, seems to 

 have greatly modified his views, formerly hostile to the use oi kerosene. 

 In a recent report, although still advocating lye washes, we lind him 

 accrediting with the best effects a high grade of kerosene, applied with 

 a spray atomizer. Again, he condemns as injurious a wash containing 

 kerosene and whale oil; but finally declares : "On the whole, crude 

 petroleum cannot be recommended; kerosene has never hurt the trees, 

 but has destroyed the scale." 



Meanwhile the lye washes appear to have had thorough trial, and 

 with not altogether satisfactory results, as witness the following com- 

 munication found in several agricultural papers of California : 



" We hear of much ill-success with the common remedies for the exter- 

 mination of the scale on fruit trees. While as a rule scales are yet 

 scarce in our county, still wherever it has made its appearance the hor- 

 ticulturists have faded to rid themselves of the pest by the application 

 of the official remedies, lye and whale-oil soap. * * * 



; - Many of the trees sprayed with strong caustics had died at the same 

 time as the scale, and the real gain has only been in preventing the 

 scale from further spreading."! 



The following from the Pacific Rural Press of April 19, 1884, is a good 

 example of recent experiments with insecticides in California: 



" I first used crude petroleum, and kill* d about thirty peach, cherry, 

 plum, and almond trees, or about one-half of the trees treated. Two 

 hundred and fifty apple and pear trees were injured, but none died, and 

 no scale appeared upon them that year. The next year I used Ameri- 

 can lye, 1 pound to two gallons of water. I killed the scale, but it came 

 back in the fall. Last year I experimented with lye at 9°, 12°, lo°, 

 because our chief horticultural officer recommended 1 pound of lye to 1 

 gallon of water. The lye burned up the buds of the Newtown Pippin 

 apple, Bartlett and Exter Beurre pears, and I had Utile fruit. It 

 burned the bark also. 



"The 12° lye did some damage to the buds; 9° killed the bugs, but 

 did not injure the buds. I treated my trees in December. The bugs 

 appeared again the next fall. 



"This year I have been using what I call improved kerosene butter, 

 and 1 think it will prove a specific for the scale bug." The writer adds 

 a formula for a mixture of kerosene, sweet milk, water, and whale oil. 



Another correspondent of the same paper {Pacific Rural Press, Jan- 

 uary 12, 1884) writes that he tried strong lye, and also strong soap, 1 



* Pacific Rural Press, March 15, 1884 ; also, Wine and Fruit Grower, May, 1884, vol. 

 t>, p. 00. 



tGustav Eisen, in Fresno Republican; also, San Francisco Merchant, February 1, 1884. 



