Report of the Iowa State Horticultural Society Volume 12 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 Excerpt: ... I use whale oil soap in weak solution. I moisten my plants and fumigate every other day. The report of the Standing Committee on Entomology was now announced in order. D. W. Kauffman made a verbal report on insects injurious to the Cherry and Plum. In substance he remarked as follows: The past season, our crops of the cherry and plum were so near total failures that a written report could only include the facts I have reported in previous years. Our Secretary has reported to me since our session commenced, that my paper on smoking plum trees with the fumes of burning coal tar, has attracted attention in New York State, and that trials there the past season have resulted as favorably as on my grounds. While I do not announce it as a fact beyond all doubt or peradvcnture, I yet believe that the coal tar fumes will be found beneficial in driving insects out of all our fruit trees. I know from experience that the smell of the fumes will remain in the trees for two or three days so strong as to make them obnoxious to all insects. The jarring process cannot be succeesfnl in warm weather, as the curculio is on the wing when the temperature reaches eighty-five degrees. If we jar them from our own orchards, they come in swarms from those of our neighbors. The smoke does not kill the insects, but they will not make the incision in the young plums if permeated with the smoke. In smoking my plum trees a year ago I smoked two Rambo apple trees as a matter of experiment. Not a single codling moth larva was found in one of the apples growing on these trees. I hope our members will make a full trial of this plan. It may prove a great thing in the way of saving our fruit from our yearly increasing host of insect marauders. I smoke the trees every other day, doing the work ...