Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1895 — THE SAN JOSE SCALE. [ARTICLE]

THE SAN JOSE SCALE.

vania State Board of Agricultun has issued a circular, which says: J. ‘‘l would Report the appearance ir Pennsylvania of that very perniciou. l insect, known as the San Jose scale. I '■ ack no w ledged W be one of the most destructive.posts that the fruit grower of the United States has to contend with. Twigs infected with this scale, obtained from a Central Pennsylvania fruit [grower/Sre thus described by the grower from whom they were re I reived: ‘A serious pest, which mul- . tiplies beyond anything that I have ever before seen in insect life. It I-will "cause much ' trouble unless 1 checked; It makes pears unsaleable; J it is worse on the Bartlett pear than i on,others, and this is our most common variety.’” Professor Howard states that the i San Jcse scale belongs to the same, j group of scale insects as the common I and well-known oyster shell bark I louse of the apple family. It -differs- ! from this insect, and in fact from all other Eastern species from deciduous fruit trees, jn that the-'scale is perfectly round, or at most very slightly elongated or irregular. It is fiat, -pressed-ctostr to the bark, resemble* the bark of the twig in color, and when fully grown is about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. At or near the middle of each scale is a, small, round, slightly—elongated, blackpoint, or this point may sometimes, appear yellowish. Professor Howard recommended | that where trees have been badly [ infested, the safest and, in the long run, the most- economical course to : pursue is to cut and burn trunks and branches. Where infestation is less marked, insecticide washes arid-sprays may be used. He favors the kerosene emulsion for destroying the young lice.and a preparation Of resin and caustic soda for the older scale. The formula for the latter preparation is as follows: Resin, 20 pounds; caustic soda. 70 1 per cent: strength, 5 pounds; fish oil, 3 pints; with—sufficient—water added to make 100 gallons. This is to be applied to the trees by means of a sprayer. Prof. Howard, in continuing his experiments with spraying mixtures for the destruction of the San Jose scale, writes to me as follows: “I i have found that while kerosene emul--1 sion treatment during the summer time is good enough, so far as it ' goes, the habits of the insect present it from being very effective, ' since they sire continually hatching j throughout the entire summer, and ' two days after hatching have formed enough of a scale to be nearly imper- ' vious to the emulsion. By these, sprayings with the emulsion at intervals throughout the summer, the insect can be kept from increasing, but its numbers can not be greatly decreased. The proper Spray is a strong whale oil solution immediately after the leaves fall in the au- ■ tumn, and again just before the buds burst in the spring. Having had experience with it in botKorchard and nursery, he said its period of incubation is in June, and again in the latter part of thq summer. After the insects are hatched, a speedy application of the kerosene emulsion will destroy them, but after the hard shell has been formed, caustic potash alone will answer. Owing to the danger connected with the use of this article the hands had better be protected with rubber gloves. The road question and the school question are intimately joined, for when our roads are perfect it will be possible to have one central graded school in each township.