The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10
TART REPLY.
Prof. Atwood Gives Farmer
a Roland for an Oliver.

ID n
Ss,S3.a X Blacksburg, Va, April lVo4 4
Editor OF The Times-Dispatch:
H Sir,--My attention has been called 70
tho article appearing In The Tlmes-Dis,-
patch for Sunday, April Sd, entitled -
Farmers Complaint" and as TINS COM
plant purports to deal In a critical splrle
with some OF the recomm atoms issued
( from this office In relation to the treatm
4of San j ose scale It seems proper tl M
we should take note Of the points ralssed
Gby your correspondent, the more esIe-
Ecinllv because this correspondent seems to
he considerably misinforned IN regard
Ito a question Of much Importance to fruit ~,
( growers, and his statements might ms
lead If the facts were not correctly stated.
In tho first place, would like to en-
dorse the ntiment expressed py your
correspondent III regard 10 the Importance
Of the fruit Industry In Virginia and tho
need Of pursuing q steady tisht asalhst
the San Jose scale pest, and l. thlnK Una I
tho record Of the experiment station IN
regard to what 1t has done to combat
this pest Is sufficient evidence of our IN
Interest in tho question. 1t hardly ap-
pears probable, however, that the Legls-
lat,lre Will ever be induced to appropriate
SO largely as your correspondent lndlcslttcs
hence It Is tho more important that cor
rect methods Of fighting the pest should
information avoided so farsas possible. y
This correspondent seems to assert. at
least by implication, that the recommends
lions Of the experiment station concern
ing the treatment of San Jose scale for
this year were not Issued until ten days
before the writing Of hiseletter. but our
records show that the Recommendations
were sent out prior to January 18th, which
would be seventy-six days prior TO April
1st about the time that his letter must
have been written, and our records also
show that over six hundred copies were
sent to Albemarle county; consequently
these recommendations were not only
printed" but We're published IN tho
sense Of being distributed effectively to
the people. We printed and distributed
fourteen thousand copies of this pamph-
let, dealing specifically with the treat
ment Of the San Jose scale, and took es-
pecal pains to give this circular com
pleto distribution In the orchard sections
OF Virginia, and II every orchardist or
person Interested in fruit did not receive
it, 1t is certainly because We have never
been able to get their names. or that they
have not made themselves known to US
by requesting the same. I think this
statement Of facts will show that this cor
respondent is hardly justified In his sheer
Ing remarks at the efforts of this instl-
tuition to distribute information.
AS to the question whether the recon-
3mendations contained in this bulletin are
proper recommendations for the treat
ment Of the San Jose scale, can only
say that we have Experimental 1or Ten
years patiently upon remedies LOT TINS
pest and while we haYo found various
ways or destroying 1t, we have now come
to believe that the modified lime-suphur
wash as published by us, ls the cheap
est and most practicable remedy avail
able. and in this belief we are supported
by the vast majority Of the well IN
formed orchardists and technical WORKERS.
While it is some trouble to make inc inns
sulphur wash. the total cost OF inc eaulp-
ment for preparing the same III Vely
effective manner need not pc t"enty WI
lars: hence your correspondent Is very
wide Of the mark in saying "the expert.
ment station STUFF is enormously cost
lyn reouIring "say, one hundred dollars
for spraying an orchard of Log trees
The discussion of this question III our
bulletin No. 14l Is quite ample ana neeus
not be repeated here.
Tho question raised by your correspoil-
dent as to tho efficacy OF caustlc sou'.
ne a wash for8the san Jose scale is not
new ono. In fact, this remedy has
been tried for years. first used It on
tho San Jose scale ten years ago ara
OF her experimenters have used u many
times: vet this writer implies that the
Department of Agriculture mas ncara o.
d new and better remedy than the lllne'
sulnhur wash, and published the same
Jaw Generally throughoutEthe State. The
cact il this publication cited by your
correspondent is simply q newspaper Clip,
ming from the Farm journal, published
IL 'tha January issue, 1901, or that paper,
and in it Mi. Dexter. the writer OF TINS
article. sets forth that ne uses seventeen
pounds of caustlc soda TO- one luhuIeo
gallons of water and finds It an elrecllVa
wash for the San Jose scale. While
have no desire to criticlse MI. dexter nor
call in question his veracity, J nave only
to say that in the next ISSUE OF the Farm
Journal no changes his Recommendation
to twenty pounds Of calstlc SODA "
hundred gallons Of water, ana susses'a
to tho editor Of the Farm Jou'l'a. wa.
twenty five or thirty pounds per one
hundred gallons should be eXperlmeE.!eo
with Evidently this does not sound IKE
tho writing OF party who mas maze
very conclusive observation. II me nu!-
letiE from tie Department 81 tisI.uu'tutn
hnd2 been ISSUED two Weeks later WY
could have appended MI, IeS'er sesol.a
recommendation, and would then hnye
had tho matter completc ~ 'at "a 'A''
Dexter is concerned.
Your correspondent seems 70 imply,
ana nnnenrs to mo TO take particular
mains 10 insinuate, that we did not Know
and had never heard of The use of
caustic soda wash; conseVnelills t,,'Hh
II fair to cite him TO some OF our lMpIiea-
lions in this regard. In February, isul'
i issued special circular 70 orchafdists
IN which / recommended as an orcnatu
wasl, tho Use Of concentrated I've fand
this Is exactly what MI. Dextef,s recon-
,nendation Isl as a genera Wnsli tor
apple orchardsi and 8lSrecon,lnehae1 tie
use of ten pounds per hundred gallons.
solely AS cleansing WASH, ~ " hol
amlss to Say that / have beer using me
above wash for over thlrty years ~
orchard work.
When tho SAN, Jose scale made It's APP