BUREAU OF PLANT QUARANTINE 25 
HOST-FREE PERIOD 
On account of the light crop of fruit produced, there was little or no demand for 
an extension of the harvesting period, which ended March 1. As in previous 
years, in order to expedite the work and to make the host-free period effective 
over as long a period as possible, laborers were employed to examine, under 
direct supervision of the inspectors, all bearing trees of the valley. The work 
was particularly difficult this season on account of the unusual amount of " off- 
bloom " fruit which the trees were carrying. In many of the groves a complete 
crop of this fruit was present on the trees. This condition was the result of a 
severe frost in March 1932, when the trees were in full bloom, and the lick of irri- 
gation during the ensuing summer months. It was found that the great majority 
of growers had made an earnest effort to remove this fruit, but a considerable 
amount had been overlooked, which it was necessary to have removed by the 
laborers. This was to be expected in view of the large amount present and the 
difficulty of distinguishing the tjreen fruit from the leaves. Very little complaint 
was voiced by the growers on being required to remove the October-bloom fruit, 
but a number objected strongly to removing fruit which would have ripened in 
from 4 to 6 weeks. 
The tree-to-tree inspection was completed in about 15 days. 
ELIMINATION" OF ALTERNATE HOST-FRUIT TBI 
A total of 308 alternate host-fruit trees were destroyed during the fiscal year. 
These included 175 guava. 92 peach, 34 plum. 4 pear, and 3 apple trees. The 
great majority were seedlings which had come up from carelessly tossed out seed. 
A number of the old trees which the owners had consistently refused to take out 
died of root rot. A total of 40,293 of such alternate host trees have been volun- 
tarily destroyed by the owners since the quarantine was inaugurated in 1927. 
POISON SPRAY 
In order to supplement the host-free-period requirement as an eradication 
measure, arrangements were completed during the last months of the fiscal year 
1932 to spray the bearing trees of the quarantined area with a solution of nicotine 
sulphate and blackstrap molasses. The formula used had been worked out by 
the Bureau of Entomology, and consisted of 1 gallon of 40-percent nicotine sul- 
phate and 20 gallons of molasses in 179 gallons of water. The first application of 
this spray was started early in July and was completed in about a month. The 
poison was applied to 3,645,034 trees on 11,841 premises during the first applica- 
tion. A total of 18,779 gallons of molasses and 940 gallons of nicotine sulphate 
were required for this application. 
The second application was started on August 15. Several changes were made 
in the methods of distribution of the material which allowed the work to proceed 
much more rapidly than in the first application. The spraying was completed 
by the 1st of September, with the exception of a number of groves which were too 
wet to work. Some 390,000 less trees were sprayed in the second application 
than in the first. These were young trees in isolated developments which ex- 
perience had shown were unlikely to be infested. A total of 3,255,480 trees on 
11,644 premises were sprayed during the second application. This required 
17,053 gallons of molasses and 854 gallons of nicotine sulphate. 
A third application of spray was given to the groves which were found infested 
in the spring of 1932 and the groves adjoining these. This work was conducted 
by the Texas State Department of Agriculture in the late fall and was completed 
in January 1933. A total of 106 groves containing 81,631 trees were sprayed. 
For this work 720 gallons of molasses and 36 gallons of nicotine sulphate were 
required. 
Intensive inspection and the operation of traps resulted in the taking of only 
si\ adult fruit Hies during the winter and spring months of 1933. This was a 
marked decrease as compared to the 2,396 specimens collected during the same 
period of the preceding year. The application of nicotine-molasses Bpray, 
started in the summer of 1932, was accordingly continued as an additional 
eradication measure, and enough material was purchased ami forwarded to the 
valley to allow three applications of the poison spraj t<> the bearing trees in the 
spring of 1933. 
The actual spraying operations of the first application of the 193 were 
Started during the last days of March and were completed near the end of April. 
12988-33 4 
