17 
firm. A negro laborer entered the room too soon, contrary to orders, 
and began pulling on the end of the bunch of nursery stock. He 
suddenly fell forward on his face unconscious and was carried out into 
the open air and laid on his back, reviving in about five minutes. Had 
this negro been alone at the time it is quite possible that the incident 
would have resulted fatally. For fumigating on a small scale Mr. M. Ji. 
Waite, who is connected with the Division of Vegetable Physiology 
and Pathology, United States Department of Agriculture, and who 
owns a country place and grows fruit, has constructed a fumigating 
box 4 feet deep, 8 feet long, and 3i feet wide, in which, before planting 
them, he fumigates all nursery trees purchased. The box is made from 
rough boards lined on the inside with painted cloth. It has a top lid 
with hinges. The largest series of experiments with this gas upon 
growing trees has been carried on by Professor Johnson at Chester- 
town, Md. These tests were made during the six weeks beginning 
October 15, 1897, and carried on under all possible conditions. The 
results can not be ascertained until another season, but this work 
should settle the question as to the availability of hydrocyanic-acid gas 
in the orchard. 
PURE KEROSENE. 
The most interesting development of the past year in remedial work 
has been the use of pure kerosene as a spray. The results of meager 
experiments which were made in the winter of 1894-95 with pure 
kerosene and with kerosene emulsion, by Messrs. Marlatt and Coquil- 
lett, of this division, did not encourage further experiment along this 
line. Experiment No. 42, of the series conducted during that winter, 
was made with pure kerosene which was applied in the form of a spray 
on January 23, 1895, to two trees, one badly infested with scales and 
the other a vigorous tree less infested. On March 11 careful examina- 
tion showed that all the scales were dead, but upon May 4 both trees 
were found to be dead. Experiment No. 23 of the same series was 
with undiluted kerosene emulsion. It was made December 10. On 
May 4 all scales were dead, except in isolated spots where the wash 
apparently did not reach, but the tree was dead or dying, except one 
limb which was in leaf and fruit. Experiment No. 38, which was con 
ducted with the undiluted emulsion on January 23, was found to result 
on March 11 in the death of the scales, but upon May 4 the tree was 
found to be dead, with the exception of one or two branches which 
were making a feeble effort to leaf out. Experiments made with the 
kerosene emulsion, diluted with an equal amount of water, apparently 
did not injure the trees, except where these were already in a moribund 
condition from borers or enormous numbers of scales. These applica- 
tions were all made to peach trees. "With these results in view 
experimental work was diverted entirely to other substances. 
In August, 1S9(>, Mr. F. M. Webster reported to the Buffalo meeting 
of the Association of Economic Entomologists that in two orchards near 
Bull. No. 12 2 
