i b THE SAX JOSE OR CHINESE SCALE. 
If sprayed in midwinter or earlier, the .soap solution seems to prevent 
the development of the fruit buds, and a loss of fruit for one year 
is apt to be experienced, the trees leafing out and. growing, however, 
perhaps more vigorously on this account. The soap treatment is per- 
fectly safe for all kinds of trees and is very effective against the scale. 
With large trees or badly infested trees, preliminary to treatment it 
is desirable, with this as well as other applications, to prune them 
back very rigorously. This results in an economy of spray and makes 
much more thoro and effective work possible. The soap can be secured 
in large quantities at from 3i cents to 4 cents a pound, making the 
mixture cost, as applied to the trees, from 7 cents to 8 cents a gallon. 
The success of the soap treatment is largely influenced by the quality 
of the soap used. Many brands are on the market, mostly made with 
soda lye. A potash soap should be insisted on. and one that does not 
contain more than 30 per cent of water. The soda soap washes arc 
apt to be gelatinous when cold and difficult or impossible to spray 
except when kept at a very high temperature. 
KEROSEXE TREATMEXT. 
This consists in spraying the trees with ordinary illuminating oil 
(coal oil or kerosene). The application is made at any time during the 
winter, preferably in the latter part, and by means of a ■-pray pump 
making a line mist spray. The application should be made with the 
greatest care, merely enough spray being put on the plant to moisten 
the trunk and branches without causing the oil to flow down the trunk 
and collect about the base. With the use of this substance it must be 
constantly borne in mind that careless or excessive application of the 
oil will be very apt to kill the treated plant. The application should 
be made on a bright, dry day. so that the oil will evaporate as quickly 
as possible. On a moist, cloudy day the evaporation is slow, and 
injury to the plant is more apt to result. If the kerosene treatment 
be adopted, therefore, it must be with a full appreciation of the fact 
that the death of the tree may follow. This oil has been used, how- 
ever, a great many times and very extensively without consequent 
injury of any kind. On the other hand, it- careless use has frequently 
killed valuable trees. Its advantages are its effectiveness, its avail- 
ability, and its cheapness, kerosene spreading very rapidly and much 
less of it being required to wet the tree than of a soap and waterspray. 
Pure kerosene is more apt to be injurious to peach and plum than to 
pear and apple trees, and the treatment of the former, as with the 
soap wash, should be deferred until spring, just before the buds swell. 
With young trees especially it is well to mound up about the trunk a 
few inches of earth to catch the overflow of oil. removing the oil- 
soaked earth immediately after treatment. 
