16 
A number of instances have come to our observation of the death of 
the scale in a wholesale manner from the spontaneous work of this dis- 
ease, or from some other cause. For example, Mr. G. P. Pilate, of 
Tifton, Ga., sent us scale-infested cuttings in January, 1897, from an 
orchard which, in his opinion, had been freed from scales by this fungus 
disease. Careful examination showed that upon one cutting, out of 183 
scales, but 1 were living; on a second cutting, out of 723, but 2 were 
living; on a third cutting, out of 579, but 28 at ere living, giving 34 
living scales out of 1,185 — a mortality rate of 97.7. We have recently 
learned through Professor Starnes, of the Georgia Experiment Station, 
of a similar instance in the vicinity of Wadley, Ga. Professor Alwood 
has noted at Vienna, Ya., the death of a considerable proportion of the 
scales presumably from the same cause, and Dr. Fletcher has found 
fungus infested scales at Fruitland, Ontario, although the fungus is 
probably a different one. 
REMEDIES. 
The matter of remedies has received a severe test since the publi- 
cation of our last article. The whale-oil soap treatment, which was 
recommended as the best then known next to the radical process of 
cutting down trees and burning them, has, when properly applied aud 
when potash soaps are used, fulfilled our expectations ; but the insect 
develops aud multiplies so rapidly that, even after a reasonably thor- 
ough and satisfactory winter treatment with whale-oil soap, it has been 
found that the iusect is once more very abundant by the close of the 
following summer. The escape of 5 per cent of the insects, or even 
less, after winter treatment will result in the speedy restocking of the 
trees. It is no wonder, then, that experimental work has been carried 
on with other substances. 
GAS TREATMENT. 
Hydrocyanic-acid gas has been used extensively for nursery stock 
with good results by some and with poor results by others. Professor 
Alwood has experimented with it upon nursery stock very thoroughly, 
and in his bulletin No. 66 was the first to describe a fumigation house. 
He considers that the work has been successful. Stock fumigated by 
nurserymen, however, has been examined at this office with the result 
that in some cases not more than 70 per cent of the scales were killed. 
Professor Johnson has also superintended the gas treatment for nursery 
stock carried on by probably the largest firm of nurserymen in Mary- 
land. He tells the writer that this firm has constructed a small build- 
ing divided into two rather large rooms, each with a capacity of 10,000 
first-class nursery trees. While the fumigation is going on in one room 
the other room is being aired and the stock removed. Professor John- 
son estimates the exj)ense not to exceed 2 cents per 1,000 trees for 
actual cost of chemicals. There are also two small rooms for fumigating 
smaller lots of stock. The necessity for thorough airing of tbe rooms 
before the stock is removed was well shown in the experience of this 
