Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-02-09
Treating of San Jose Scale

hundreds OF meetings, farmers IN
,titutes and grange sessions to dis
cuss the much dreaded San Jose
scale. the farmers of the Keystone
state have at last found remedy.
Tests have been in progress for ~
years all over the Union, but
strangely enough it was only re-
Gently, that a com bination of three
cheap common things in daily use
was hit upon as an effective insect
icide These are lime, sulphur and
salt, held in solution with water,
and they are so effective when pro-
perly applied that they can be said
to be infailible. Agriculturists are
sure they see the determination OF
the pest in the near future and Il
consequent great improvement in
in the quality Of fruits, since it is
the fruit trees the scale damages
most. Though many theories have
been advanced for the origin and
spread of the scale. those who have
studied the pest most have con-
cluded that little of either is really
known. This does not lessen the
fact of the presence of the scale,
however. nor its rapid spread in all
parts Of tie country. Fruit trees,
shade trees and forests soon were
threatened ana further invasion
was certain unless the pest could
he checked.
DIR. John n. Funk, State pomol-
ogist of Pennsylvania, himself the
owner of a splendid fruit farm at
Boyertown. was one Of the first to
consider seriously the remedy for
the San Jose scale. and to him
must be given a large share of the
credit of the success oe the war
waged against it. He begun his
experiments with his own trees,
and his success became early mat.
Ter of consideration in other states
There is not a fruit farm in the
country IN a more healthfnl con-
dition than DR.. Funk's.
DR. Funk had experience in farm.
ing, tracking fruit and vegetable
growing for nearly 40 years, in
Penns, lvania and Florida. He
knows his business from beginning
to end. having studied trees from
childhood. For many years he con.
Quoted large nurseries.
Five years ago DR. Funk was
sought by the leading farmers in
stitute workers, and since that
time he has been on the platform
in practically every county in the
keystone State where fruit and
vegetables are raised, Even before
Governor Pennypacker appointed
him State pomologist. he was hold,
ing public demonstrations and
how he treated his trees so as to
grow nice healthy fruit. He OBJ
tanned the most practical spraying
O, tit, and on his Paragon fruit
farm he installed the best spraying
apparatus in America to-day, not
even excepting such outfits at agri'
cultural experiment stations. The
fact is substantiated by the many
men connected with the various
agricultural colleges, experiment
stations and leading agricultural
papers. who come thou. lands OF
miles to see Doctor Funk's expert
ments.
The formula that DR. Funk uses
in all his spraying is known as the
lime. sulphur and salt formula and
consists of 45 pounds of unslacked
lime. "a pounds of sulphur, and ID
pounds of salt. The preparation OF
this substance is done very scientific
callv He has erected in the midst
of his fruit orchard a special build
ing where all the cooking and
mixing of the different chemicals
are done. The building is about
2Ox26 feet, with platforms on two
sides of the interior. On one he
has three barrels, each holding
about 60 gallons, strongly bound
with iron hoops, with faucets at.
tached at the bottom. Underneath
is the boiler, where he produce;
the steam to do the cooking.
DIR Funk takes the unsIackec
lime. and pours over it IA gallons
of water, and adds the sulphur
The mixture is then cooked for Al