The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1915-02-10
SPRAY fruit NOW
FOR JOSE SCALE.
Can Spray For Scale And Leaf Curl
At Same Time, Says sEnto-
mology Board

Atlanta, Ga, February.-(Special)-
What Georgia peach growers want to
know for practical purposes is how to
control and exterminate the San Jose
scale. The origin and history of the
scale matter little; whether it came
from Japan or China, cuts no figure
now. The important fact is it is here;
the important problem, how to get rid
of it, or at least keep it down
The San Jose scale is controlled by
spraying with a lime-sulphur solution,
and spraying time is here During the
next thirty days all peach and other
fruit trees upon which the scale has
made it's appearance, even in most
limited extent, should be given their
spring spray treatment, says. State
Entomologist E. Lee Worsham.
A brief description of the scale win
help in recognizing it. The scale it.
self is the covering of tiny insect.
Cold weather kills many of them, but
they have been found crawling as late
as November and December and as
early as March The young insect
sticks its beak into bark of the
tree and covers itself with scale
formed from waxy secretions which
spring from all parts of its body.
How the Scales Look
This scaly covering is at first al
most white or pale yellow, but the
color slowly changes First the scale,
both male and female, becomes round
and jet black except for the central
nipple. These round black scales cas-
lily distinguish the San Jose scale from
nearly all other scale insects. AS the
scales mature they lose this character
istic black color and when full grown
are of an ashy gray color, with pale
reddish or yellow nipple in the center.
This description applies to the female
scale. The male scale differs from
the female by being oblong-oval in
stead of round and is nearly twice as
long as it is wide. The males are
smaller and often darker in color, and
the nipple will be at the end instead
of the center as in the female.
Fruit growers or those who have
only few trees from which they want
to get perfect fruit, should use the
lime-sulphur spray now at any time
before the buds OPEN Where there
was winter spraying, it may only be
necessary to repeat on bad trees, but
II there was no winter spraying, every
tree should be gone over thoroughly.
There are two lime-sulphur washes
used effectively in Georgia, one con-
tanning salt and the other without it.
Experiments of the State Board of
Entomology show the wash without
the salt is just as effective, and the
use of salt causes spraying machin-
cry and boilers to rust.
What To Spray With
In making the solution without salt,
mix 16 pounds of ground sulphur into
a paste and add about Is gallons of
boiling water in kettle or boiling tank,
if steam is used Add 20 pounds of
fresh unslaked lime and stir occasion
ally while the lime is shaking Boil
about As minutes or longer if neces-
sary TO secure the proper color. After
boiling sufficiently the solution, when
stirred, should be dirty greenish-yel-
low color. The bright yellow color of
the sulphur should not be apparent.
If it is, the mixture needs more boil
ing. After the concentrated mixture
is sufficiently boiled, dilute with warm
water to total of so gallons and use
while warm, spraying the trees thor
oughly with spray pump.
Sometimes a still later spraying is
needed when the fruit is half-matured,
in order to keep it perfect This
spraying should be made with an
emulsion made of one-half. pound
of hard soap dissolved in one
gallon CT boiling water. to which
add two gallons of kerosene oil
and agitate the mixture violently
for 10 minutes. Dilute with gallons
of water to make 20 per cent solu-
ton for this spraying. This is a val
liable contact insecticide for destroy
ing plant lice, San Jose scale and
other scale insects.
Peach Leaf Curl
Peach trees should be treated for
peach leaf curl in the early spring at
the same time the spraying treatment
is given for San Jose scale. This
spraying should be made about one
month before the buds open, and
little later on, any unsprayed spots
should be touched up with the spray
ing mixture.
Peach leaf curl comes in the spring.
but there are no outward signs of it
until it is too late to be controlled
for that season. The affected leaves
take on an abnormal color, become
curled and much thickened and finally
drop. The disease is due to a micro
scopic fungus that lives and feeds
upon the juices within the leaves.
While experiments have shown that
the Bordeaux mixture (lime 6 pounds.
copper sulphate 8 pounds, water so
gallons) is the most satisfactory spray
for peach leaf curl from an econom.
ical standpoint. it. is also true that
the hme-sulphur wash is equally eff.
fective, so that spraying for San Jose
scale and peach leaf curl may be made
at the same time. In other words, If