442 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 17 
state called on us, and as he is handling trees himself and is also planting 
out some orchards of his own, he asked us if we would not send him 
trees without fumigating, although the laws of his state are very strict 
along this line. We told him that we would have to obey the state law, 
and he did not place his order with us, and has not up to this date. 
The fact of the matter is, this man told me personally that thousands of 
trees coming into his state, that had been fumigated, were injured and he 
did not want his fumigated.” Can we wonder at the complaints when 
those whose duty it is to uphold the law attempt to evade it and who 
point out in such a striking manner the possible harmful results if 
properly enforced? 
Where ideal conditions are obtainable, as is possible in experimental 
work, fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas can be done with effective 
results and without injury to trees. However, even under such con¬ 
ditions, injury is possible. Mr. K. C. Sullivan in summarizing his in¬ 
vestigations on the treatment of nursery stock 1 writes, “All strengths of 
the hydrocyanic acid gas caused more or less injury to the plants.* * * 
The 1-1-3 formula should always be used in fumigating nursery stock, 
and the stock should be dry. There may be greater danger of injury to 
plants, but the scale will be more completely controlled, and this is the 
most important factor.” Do entomologists realize that while the con¬ 
trol of the insect is a most important factor that it is equally important 
that the remedy be not more severe and fatal to the plant than the in¬ 
sect itself? 
With their belief that fumigation may sometimes injure stock, 
many nurserymen, otherwise conscientious, probably do not take the 
pains to practice fumigation in a way to get effective scale control. 
These points bearing on the fumigation of nursery stock have been 
briefly discussed to emphasize the need of further investigations to 
prove or disprove the use of hydrocyanic acid gas for nursery trees, to 
secure other means, if necessary, which will be thoroughly effective and 
harmless to trees, cheap and practical. The results should be sufficiently 
definite and clean cut that we will have reason to retain or change our 
state law. We believe there is no question that when thoroughly used 
under conditions which are practical in the nursery that the gas may be 
harmful to nursery trees and that complaints from nurserymen and 
orchardmen are justified. 
Believing the subject one which could best be handled through the 
Crop Protection Institute, the suggestion has been made to the American 
x Bul. Mo. Agr. Exp. Sta., No. 177, Dec. 1920, p. 34. 
