The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1897-04-15

plEtlueit.
The ''Oyster Shell Bark Louise"
QUESTION: have an apple orchard of
over 1000 trees and I find a number of
them affected with some injurious in.
sect. The ends of the smaller branches
die and the trees have general look of
unhealthfulness. send you some twigs
covered with the insects, and would be
glad to know how to get rid of them.
Had not better cut down my infected
trees?
ANSWER. The twigs are we'll COW
cred with she "Oyster Shell Bark
Louise" one of the worst enemies of
the apple grower. You need not, how
ever, cut down your trees on their ac-
count, for with proper care they can be
successfully fought. During the winter
the trees should be carefully examined,
and II these or any other scale insects
are found they should be scraped off as
thoroughly as possible. This means,
however, will not entirely exterminate
the lice. as many will be on the smaller
twlgs, which cannot be scrapsd, there
fore other means must also be used.
Watch out daily for the Matching of
the young lice, which in Middle Geor-
gia will occur early in April, or sooner,
II the weather is warm. A close ex.
animation will show them moving
about on the bark, hunting for good
place to settle and insert their beaks,
which once done. they remain station
airy for the balance of their lives. suck.
ing the juices of the tree and doing it
great damage. While running about,
and for short time after they become
stationary, they are easily destroyed,
being then very tender aud delicate
Three remedies are recommended, and
doubtless they are all good. First,
when you fand the young lice running
about the limbs. wash CO paint the en-
tire bark with strong solution of soft
soap and washing soda. To make this,
dissolve 4 pound of washing soda in
21a or 8 gallons of water. and with this
dilute soft soap to the consistency of a
thick paste. Second remedy: When
the lice are observed. syringe thoroughly
with solution of washing soda, made
by dissolwing Is pound Of soda ia 2
gallons of water. Third remedy: Spray
with kerosene emulsion, made as fol-
lows: Kerosene, 3 gallons; whale oil
soap. q pound Tor quart of soft soapG
water, j gallon. Dissolve the soap in
boiling water and add the hot solution
<away from the fire) to the kerosene.
Agatase the mixture violently with q
force pump or other means for 8 min
utes, or until the liquid becomes of the
consistency Of cream. If we'll made,
this emulsion will keep for long time,
to be used as wanted. For this insect,
dilnte the emulsion with eight or ten
times its bulk of cold water. In apply
ing any of these remedies the work
must be done very thoroughly, 60 that
every portion of the bark may be
reached, otherwise some of the lice will
escape and will quickly increase and
multiply" Before the protecting, scaly
shields cover these lice they are quite
helpless from attacks from other quart
ers, and are preyed ON by several para.
sites and by one or two species of the
ladybug. Insect enemies to the vari-
GUS fruits are very common now in
Georgia, where but a few years ago
they were unheard of. and only by care
and watchfulness and the use of the
washes and sprays of various kinds can
we now hope for the finest fruits State
Agricultural Department.