Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1899-11-25

nurserymen to get a certificate on lot
of clean trees and then add any number
of infested trees later, or in many other
ways unlawfully use this certificate to
cover trees it was never intended to Gov
er. Some of the most badly infested
trees in lot that was recently inspected
had upon them a certificate of inspection
from New York inspector, the agent
claiming that this was sufficient evidence
that the trees were clean but it required
only look at them to show that they
were badly infested with Woolly Aphis
The amount of damage that may be
done By this wholesale spread of such
dangerous pests can hardly be estimated,
Not only are the infested trees nearly
sure to be destroyed but whole regions
heretofore free from the pest may become
infested.
The two insects that have been most
/ common on these important trees are the
Woolly Aphis and the Peach-tree Borer.
The presence of the Woolly Aphis is al
ways easily detected by the white floccu-
! lent substance which surrounds the in
sect. 1t may be found on any part of the
tree, roots, trunk, or limbs, sometimes
singly but usually in small groups or
colonies. The presence of the Peach-tree
Borer is harder to detect and unless the
trees are examined very carefully the in
sect is apt to go wholly unobserved until
it has done a considerable amount of
damage 1t is i'll the 1arval stage that
this insect Injuries the tree boring into
the trunk near the surface of the ground.
Here it feeds upon the tissues of the
plant mining its way between the bark
and the sapwood, often completely Grid
ling and causing the death of the tree, al
ways greatly injuring and weakening it.
1t IS i'll this stage that the pest is found
i'll the nursery stock where its presence is .
only revealed by the brownish cumming
eXudations near she base of the tree.
The state law provides that an inspec-
tor finding any infested nursery stock
shall either destroy it or disinfect it, by
or otherwise. If young tree
is badly infested with the Woolly Aphis .
it should be destroyed at once by burn
ing. 1t will not pay to set our tree that
is already weakened by the attacks of
this or any other insect. If however,
only few Aphis are found and the tree
is strong and healthy they may be disin-
tected and used for transplanting. The
usual and perhaps the best method of
dls1ntectng such stock is by fumigation
with Hydrorganic Acid gas. If this is
properly done all insect life on the plant
will be destroyed. The gas is such
deadly poison, however, that it must be
used with the utmost care. The best
method being as follows: Having placed
the trees i'll tight room, or in tight
box if only few are to be treated, an
earthen vessel is filled with the proper
of water then the sulphuric acid
and potassium cyanide are added in the
order named. The room is then kept
S' OO'~N iol q nan vi lnIee-qudrterS
ot an hour. One ounce of potassium
cyanide should be used for every one
hundred cubic feet ofspace inclosed. The
III which the chemicals are
used is also important. The best results
seem to be obtained when half more
acid than cyanide and a half more water
than acid is used, thus if a room contains
1000 Gu. it., 10 OF. of potassium cyanide,
IS OF. of sulphuric acid and 22H OF. of
water should be used.
The only way to get rid of the Peach
tree Borer Is to cut it out with a knife
and destroy 1t. 1.-THE tree is a valuable
one and large enough to stand the treat
ment this may be resorted to but as q
rule 1t would not pay to try to treat
nursery stock i'll this way so it is recon-
mended that all such infested stock he
burned
1t is to be regretted that 50 many Of
our farmers are led into buving this
worse than worthless stock, stock that no
nurseryman would dare place on the
market near his own home where his
reputation was worth anything to him.
H. however, he could get rid of this in
tested stock by shipping it to some dis
tant state where he has no reputation at
stake and especially if he can get
Two or three times the value of good
trees tor 1t, he is going to shin if ever, :,
defiance OF the law, as long as the people
are willing to be imposed upon in this
way. 1t is surnr;e;,o. -,