The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1897, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. S' 
VoL. V. ROCHESTER, N. Y., JUNE, 1897. No.X 
TREATING STOCK. 
Advantages of Whale Oil Soap Solution 
AND Gas Treatment for San Jose Scale- 
Some Practical Points on Cases Cited. 
In the fourteenth annual report of the New York Experi¬ 
ment Station, at Geneva, N. Y., F. A. Sirrine, entomologist, 
under the head of notes and remedies for the pernicious and 
other scale insects, after describing experiments in the nurseries 
of Keene & Foulk and Parsons & Sons, Flushing, N. Y.. and 
Lovett & Co., Little Silver, N. J., makes the following prac¬ 
tical suggestions as to the treatment of nursery stock : 
“During the spring shipping season all the infested stock in 
Keene & Foulk’s nursery was destroyed, and all suspected 
stock sold, whether washed during the winter or not, was put 
through the gas box. A good share of the pear trees washed 
during December was destroyed. On all the latter that were 
saved, as well as on other stock treated twice with kerosene 
emulsion, a good many live specimens were found in July. In 
most cases they appeared to have issued from adults which 
were fairly well protected around the union of the branches 
with the trunk of the tree. In other cases the adults were 
protected by dirt at the base of the tree ; this was especially 
the case with the one year old stock. Undoubtedly some of 
the scale insects would have escaped the action of the washes 
as well as the climatic effects at these points. All the one year 
old stock was injured to such an extent by the kerosene 
emulsio'n that it had to be cut back. In some cases the branches 
of older stock were injured. 
WHALE oil soap. 
“Between the first and fifteenth of August, Mr. Foulk 
trimmed about one hundred each of one and two year old 
apple and peach trees and had the dirt removed from their 
crowns. Half of each of these he washed, from the branches 
to the exposed roots, with whale oil soap, using two pounds of 
soap to a gallon of water. The remaining 50 of each he painted 
with raw linseed oil. These trees were thoroughly inspected 
August 2ist. With the exception of a few young which had 
migrated from the untreated branches unto the body where 
the whale oil soap had been removed by rain, not a living 
specimen could be found. At that time no injury to any of 
the trees was noticeable. 
“During the first half of November Mr. Foulk cut back 
between 10,000 and 12,000 two year old apple and plum trees 
and removed dirt from collars. These he had washed with 
whale oil soap solution, two pounds to one gallon of water. 
When inspected November 15th it was found that the cold 
weather, together with the frothiness of the solution had inter¬ 
fered with the thorough application of the wash. As a result 
some of the pernicious scales had escaped. All of these trees 
were re-washed, care being taken to keep the wash hot for the 
workmen. 
GAS TREATMENT, 
“Before the spring shipping season opened Mr. Foulk made 
two fumigating boxes for the purpose of treating with 
hydrocyanic acid gas all suspected stock sold. These boxes 
were 13x3x3 feet, made of flooring and without a cover. 
White lead was used for filling the mortises and putty for the 
larger joints. Outside of the boxes was entirely covered with 
oiled muslin and the latter given two coats of paint. Each 
box cost about ^10. 
“The same amount of chemicals was used to each box of 
trees as recommended for treating scale insects on citrus trees 
in California, viz., i ounce of fused cyanide of potassium, i 
fluid ounce of commercial sulphuric acid and 3 fluid ounces of 
water for 150 cubic feet of space. As each box only contains 
117 cubic feet, the amount of gas used in each box was a trifle 
more than recommended. About 75 apple trees that had 
been treated with the gas were heeled in and retained for the 
purpose of noting effect of gas on trees and scale insects. 
They were examined on four separate occasions between the 
first of May and September. 
“ When inspected in June a single live scale insect was found 
which proved to be a male No injury to the trees was notice¬ 
able. In one case where gas treated stock was sent out a pear 
tree was found in August to be infested. This tree with a 
number of other pears was sold to the purchaser with a plum. 
The latter was badly infested with the pernicious scale and 
had been overlooked the previous fall when the stock was 
inspected. Of course the plum tree was brought in contract 
with the pears when delivered, but at that season the pernici¬ 
ous scale is supposed to be dormant. There is also a chance 
that the owner transferred the insects later in the season by 
handling the trees. 
“Although some results indicate that the gas treatment is 
not a complete success, in most cases the failures can be traced 
to something which has interfered with its thorough applica¬ 
tion. Any remedy will prove a failure when tested on the 
pernicious scale, unless care is taken to make the treatment 
thorough. Even whale oil soap will prove a failure in nursery 
unless dirt is removed from base of the tree and the wash 
thoroughly applied to all parts. 
“From the amount of stock which I have had the privilege 
of inspecting, after treatment with gas and whale oil soap, I 
think it is safe to assert that, all things considered, the gas 
treatment is the cheapest remedy for nurserymen who handle 
and ship fruit trees in large quantities, and will be as effective 
as any remedy under ordinary conditions of application. 
FUMIGATING BOXES. 
“ One generator will answer but two are better. An ordi¬ 
nary glass fruit jar makes a good generator. The fused potas¬ 
sium cyanide should be weighed and put into packages con¬ 
taining the proper amount required for each generator, so that 
