New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 325 
are much more penetrating than the soap and sulphur preparations. 
While it is not so effective as the pure oil and the miscible oil, 
because of its safe qualities and its cheapness the kerosene emul- 
sion seems to be the remedy best adapted to the needs of orchardists. 
Used a little stronger, at the rate of one part diluted with five parts 
of water, it is believed that still better results would be obtained. 
Pure kerosene oil and the miscible oils may be employed for the 
treatment of apples, suggestions for the use of which are given 
in the final directions for spraying for the mite. 
GENERAL SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS. 
The leaf blister-mite passes the winter in the bud scales, usually 
of the buds of the new growth, and while in this situation is sus- 
ceptible to practical methods of treatment. The protection derived 
from the buds makes the pest somewhat difficult to control because 
of the necessity of thorough spraying, but experience has shown that 
the mite may be effectually combated with but little more cost than 
is required for certain of the common destructive orchard insects. 
This is especially true of pears, which have uniformly given satis- 
factory results by spraying, but on the apple the mite is more 
difficult to control because of the size of the trees and the greater 
abundance of the pubescence of the buds which acts as more or less 
of a repellent to the spraying mixtures. Whale-oil soap mixtures 
and sulphur washes, which have proven very efficient in the treat- 
ment of pears, have been only partially effective upon apples, while 
the oils, pure or emulsified, and miscible oil, have given satisfac- 
tory results upon both kinds of fruits. In the experiments that 
have been undertaken upon them with apples, pure kerosene oil 
and crude petroleum, which are very penetrating and efficient 
insecticides, effected greater reduction in the numbers of the 
mites than any other of the various sprays that have been tested. 
But unfortunately these oils, unless used in the minimum quan- 
tities, are unsafe sprays, and may cause injuries to fruit and leaf 
buds, which limit their use to orchardists who have learned to apply 
them with safety, or to the treatment of trees on which more safe 
remedies have failed. While it is not quite so efficient as the clear 
oils, the kerosene emulsion appears to be the more practical remedy 
