The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-02-24
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AGARM' F0GG@
A aAN GARDEN
THE SAN JOSE SCALE.
Treatment Advised by the Entomologist
of the New Jersey Station.

Treatment Advised by the Entomologist
of the New Jersey Station.
The treatment suggested by j. b.
Smith entomologist of the New Jersey
station, for the San Jose scale is in
brief: Winter treat badly infested trees
with either soap or kerosene, according
to circumstances, and follow by one,
two or three summer treatments, as
may be found necessary. Whale oil soap
! is safer to trees in average hands than
kerosene and should be used where it Is
likely to prove effective for that reason.
He makes these suggestions:
When trees and scales are dormant
the winter treatment is begun. Ii the
| trees are young and not in bearing, with
smooth bark, paint the trunks and
larger branches so far as tney can be
reached with whale oil soapsuds, two
pounds in one gallon of water, and put
it on thoroughly, being sure to get an
| inch or so below the surface to reach
scales at that point. During dry spell
in January spray the upper parts of the
trees with mixture of the same
strength and again treat the trunk with
| the spray. In February or March trim
out carefully and cut every twig and
branch that the tree can safely spare.
The object of this trimming is to get rid
of those small spurs and twigs that are
most difficult to wet thoroughly by
spray and which would be most likely
TO harbor isolated scales.
This treatment will kill all but very
small percentage of scales, and some
trees will be entirely cleared. Thereaft-
er the trees should be closely watched
in early June. AT about the 10th of that
month very careful search should be
made for crawling larvae. Every tree
on which even one larva is seen should
be marked and treated with either whale
oil soap, pound in a Ballon of water,
or the mechanical mixture of kerosene
and water, put on with an emulsion
sprayer II the winter and spring treat
ments were carefully made, few trees
should need one in fall, and one year of
careful work should clean any orchard
of young trees from scales
If the trees are large and in bearing,
| a somewhat different practice must OBJ
tain. If they are smooth barked, like
certain pear, apple and plum, the whale
oil soapsuds, two pounds in gallon of
water, can be painted in December on
the trunks and as far as can be oonven-
iently reached on the main branches. In
January or February spray the entire
trees with whale oil soap at the rate of
only pound in a gallon Of water to
avoid injuring fruit buds by the stronger
mixture. Trim out carefully in March
or at any time during the late winter,
| and when the buds begin to swell treat
the entire trees with undiluted kerosene
All trimming should be done at least
a month before kerosene is applied, and
either Vermorel or the finest Nixon
nozzle should be used, with sufficient
| force behind it to make mistlike spray
Always, select clear, dry day, so that
| the kerosene may evaporate rapidly, and
sec that the trees themselves are dry. Ii
the trees are rough barked or scaly, so
| that the soap mixture will not readily
reach all parts of the surface, use kero-
sene at once on the trunks as well. The
oil has the advantage OF penetrating by
its own properties, but it should be
sprayed rather than painted. so as not
to get on too much. Never put it on so
that it runs down the trunk and into
the soil. You will be very apt other
wise to find dead tree in spring.
The essential points to be regarded in
the application of kerosene are the fin
| est possible spray, the completest and
thinnest possible coating over the entire
surface and weather conditions favoring
rapid evaporation. The trees themselves
should be dry. Any departure from
these suggestions may cause injury, for
kerosene improperly used is fatal to
plant life
SfartInU Hofbef1s.