April, ’20] 
PETERSON: PEACH-TREE BORER 
201 
the disposal of most farm products from this district are in many in¬ 
stances very favorable to the further dispersal of-the beetles, and those 
in charge of the work are convinced of the need of additional quaran¬ 
tine measures, to remedy this situation. Not only will the area now 
subject to quarantine need to be very considerably enlarged, but it 
seems probable also that the shipment of practically all outdoor grown 
farm products will have to be subject to quarantine regulations. A 
revised quarantine measure is now being drawn up, which we believe 
will fully and adequately cover all phases of the situation, so that the 
chances of further spread by this means will be reduced to the very 
minimum. 
At 3.40 p. m., the meeting of the Association was called to order. 
President W. C. O’Kane: We will resume the program and the 
next paper is “ A Preliminary Report on the Use of Sodium Cyanide 
for the Control of the Peach Borer,” by Alvah Peterson. 
A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE USE OF SODIUM CYANIDE 
FOR THE CONTROL OF THE PEACH-TREE BORER 
(SANNINOIDEA EXITIOSA SAY) 
By Alvah Peterson, Assistant Entomologist, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment 
Station 
Introduction 
For two seasons we have been studying the response of the peach-tree 
borer and peach trees to sodium cyanide. In 1916, Mr. M. A. Blake 
and Mr. C. H. Connors, of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment 
Station, started a few experiments with sodium cyanide. They found 
that strengths up to and including one ounce to one gallon of water 
did not injure the trees. On the basis of their results one peach grower 
in New Jersey, who has 3,000 six-year-old trees located on silt loam soil, 
has treated his orchard for three seasons with sodium cyanide. He 
applies three quarters ounce to one gallon of water to each tree in 
September or October. During the past season one ounce of dry sodium 
cyanide per tree was applied. This orchard today is in excellent con¬ 
dition and the peach borers have been greatly reduced. 
In experimenting with poisonous gases or materials for the control 
of the peach-tree borer some of the important points to consider are 
the size and location of the larvae in the tree, the age and condition of 
the tree, the time and method of application, the penetrative and last¬ 
ing quality of the poison in the soil and the physical and chemical 
properties of the soil, particularly its temperature and water holding 
