Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-28
A New California Orchard Pest-A Rival
of the Cooling Moth

of the Cooling Moth.
The law for the promotion and protection
of the horticultural interests of this State,
and the organization of active work against
the insects injurious to fruit and fruit trees
in this State, came not one day too soon.
The time was when we boasted that our State
was free of all insects and tree diseases, and
that we had found the fruis-growers' paradise
on the shores of the Pacific. L now turns
out that our exemption was only one enjoyed
in common with all other new countries, and
that the insects and diseases peculiar to or
chards and trees in older countries were abb
sent only because their introduction among
us was delayed by circumstances, and not
because of any condition of climate or soil
unfavorable to their existence and prosperity
here. The facts are, as proven by later ex-
periences, that while we have found the
fruit growers paradise, we do not and cannot
enjoy full exemption from some of the draw
backs found in other countries. Our climate,
while it is most favorable to fruit cult
ure, Is IN the same proportion equally favor
able TO the hourishing Of all the usual
accompaniment Of that branch of agricultural
industries-the unfavoTable as well as the
favorable. Our fruit trees make unusual
growth in our favorable climate and come
into bearing earlier than IN most any other
country, and our fruit is among the best pro-
duced in the world, and it would be too much
of good thing if we had no fruit enemies to
fight. We have plenty Of them already, and
We cannot tell how many more we shall find !;
but there is one thing certain, that in order
to enjoy and profit by our favorable condi-
tions as to fruit culture we must accept and
combat the unfavorable conditions /; to enjoy
exemptions from the ravages of insects we
must to the best of our ability, learn the
natural history and habits Of those insects, to
enable US the better to combat them. Up
to the present season the chief and almost
only known insect doing damage in oar apple
and pear orchards has been the codling moth,
but now we have a rival to this insect that
bids fair to be its equal or superior in ability
to do damage. In the orchard of G.. Z.
De Long, of Marin county, being the largest
apple orchard in the State and in the United
States, it not in the world, containing SO, 900
trees, there has appeared caterpillar for the
last three or four years doing considerable
damage by devouring the leaves in the spring
But as the damage was comparatively light
but little attention has been given them and
they have gone on spreading and increasing
till now, as Mr.. belong expresses it in a
letter TO Mr.. Cooke, Horticultural Officer,
''all of the apple trees are ell covered with
caterpillars, doing immense damage That
we have killed millions of them the past
month does not convey any idea of the mat
ter. We have in one block Of trees some
two thousand trees that are stripped entirely
aS leaves and fruit, and they look just as they
do in midwinter" In compliance with re-
quest to do so, Mr.. Cook has paid Mr.. belong
and his orchard visit, and found the orchard
as stated. completely covered with worms
and large numbers of men engaged in de-
stroying them. Except as to the two thou
sand trees referred to, they have been so far