Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-06-12
THE WHITE SCALE.
Some Terribly Infested
Orange Groves.
WHERE ARE THE INSPECTORS :
Orange Trees, Vines, ROsebushes,
Walnut Trees Alive with
Insect Pests.

HERALD is no alarmist. II never cries
wolf OF sight Of one OF the house dogs.
In the following lines there is not one
word Of exaggeration, nothing written
up for the sake of effect. 1t is all
strictly true SO far as the facts are con-
cerned.
II is generally known that the City
Council has committee Of that body in
existence, appointed specially to look
into the doings of certain fruit pest in
spectors created by the council and to
whom the city is paying good salaries.
The Board of County Supervisors have
q similar set of officials all over Los
Angeles county to whom the county
pays salaries. Thus far there il no com
mission from that body set to inspect
the inspectors, but there may be such an
Investigation later on.
Knowing from the public talk on
this head the feeling Of those interested
In the bug question, how the inspectors
are generally regarded, and what good
their existence IL considered to have
been In the matter OF exterminating the
pests, q HERALD reporter yesterday
took drive through about q score OF
the orchards and vineyards below San
Pedro street. The first place entered
was the world-renowned orchard OF Mr..
]. w. wolfskill, one Of the Oldest in the
country, and generally regarded as one
Of the most intelligently managed and
carefully cultivated in Los Angeles. II
Il q very valuable property and one that
90 shrewd man as Mr.. Wolfskill would
not lightly let 20 10 destruction. The or
anke crop has been sold Oh the trees ere
now for lump sum of $25. 900.
The condition II Is In to-day is easily
seen, but very difficult to describe. So
far but little has been done TO these
trees. Many people have said things
severely rejecting on Mr.. Wolfskill for
not locking the matter up with vigor
and cleaning the orchard. Such view
IL all clear. enough to those who do not
know all the facts and circumstances. 1t
Is to be borne in mibd that this is new
difficulty! A few year, ago there was
not known 10 exist Ia Southern Califor-
mia single specimen Of the cottony
cushion SCALE erya Parchasi Of the
The existence Of this
pest any where was fact known only TO
The scientific portion Of the community.
About 1850 T. A. Carey imported from
Australia 8 few orange trees and plantsd
them on his place out on San Pedro
street, near Washington street. Twas
. couple of yeaFs before any one noticed
the peculiar parasitic imported on these
trees and which Il once began 20 multi
ply In their new home. When noticed
scarcely any one was aware Of their per-
nicious eject on plant life. 1t was not
until q couple Of years since that aay
loud noiss began to be made about the
pests. To-day they are confined to .
very limited area Of this county. II one
viii get up In the cupola on the big
built by Carey out on
Sen Pedro street, and facing
eastward look the way the wind blows,
his eye will take in little belt between
there and the river. ct about First street,
which contains more bugs than all the
rest Of the county put together. The
winds have done more than all else
combined to spread the scale. Other
causes have carried them to other parts
Of the city, but slowly. "A pct plant
taken from the Carey place TO garden
IN Ban Gabriel probably injected the few
orchards at the Mission where the white
scale ID found. These two localities are
the only ones where ii il. Tho pest has
mot reached Vernon, II Ia not known in
the Quartz, at Pomona, nor Riverside.
There IL none of II in the Santa Ana
Valley.
THE woLFsKILL ORCHARD.
Returning to the point Of starting,
Mr.. Graw, the superintendent Of the
Wolfskili place, was found in the pack
ing houss getting carload OF
oranges and lemons ready Tor
shipmeaL He very promptly left
his occupation and took the reporter all
through the trees. The younger portion
Of the orchard 10 not yet badly Infested,
there are literally millions Of
Nhe bugs all over the trees. The older
trees are much worse. and show in every
way-the appearance Of the bark. of the
leaves, Of the wood when cut-the dire
effects OF the pest. In this aud in other
orchards visited, one can stand and look
down the rows Of trees and see by the
thin foliage and the yellow leaves that
the life OF the orchard is being slowly
sappsd. Then on the boles of the trees,
on the branches everywhere is seen the
thick, black deposit from the excrement
of the millions OF this filthy parasite. and
on top Of this the white cotton Of the scale
thick q. barnaoIes on o rotten pile in
salt water. Coming closer up the vermin
Il seen in all stages OF development.
There are the full-grown bugs as big
each - q lady-bug. which has inserted
its proboscis into the tree, penetrating
the bark, where it opens out in the form
of 7 and feeds upon the sap of the
plant. Crush one Of these fellows and
ahe will be found to contain 800 10 1000
strong Of her baleful progeny, ready to
walk away and 90 multiply after the
manner Of her kind. There are the
young In all stages Of growth, the larve
on the leaves, the little things just come
to life, larger specimens walking about
seeking place to fasten their fangs for
. settlement for life. Hundreds Of trees
ere found in this terrible condition.
Even year ago there were compare
lively few OF the pests In this orchard.
This present condition ia one Of very
rapid Developments.
In one part of the orchard were
found trees where the County Com
missioners have been experimenting
with the several washes offered In com
petition for the $1,000 premium. Mr..
Grew, and indeed all those interviewed
are Of the opinion that they are all eff
oacious, but they think hardly more so
than those 10 use before. There seems
TO be no difficulty to get one that will
Kill, There are dozen emulsions that
kill every bug they strike. The problem
now before the orchardists contains two
questions to be solved. What is wanted
is an ef6cacious wash that will cost less
than cent gallon, and an apparatus
is wanted that will apply this wash TO
every spray and leaf Of tree. The
wash must be 30 dilute as not TO kill the
foliage or iDjure the fruit. The Penn
sylvania mans wash kills the bugs,
but II kills the tree and cooks
the fruit at the same time. Then
the emulsion must be cheap enough to
allow its free use and not cost more than
the tree Is worth. Again, the chief de-
sideratum now is some means of applica-
ton which will be sure TO hit eli Dor.
tons of the tree. II single spriQ il
missed and two bugs let live In six
uonths II will be as bad as before. II
1. 80 but about two months for these
"a be born, produce 1000 Of their
de. In two more months that
,hanssnd N ~ multiply to from half q
m; ST "a = 80, I'd million. 1t is to lei
.h ,,,,on a - vs 30 mads and to learn
TO- hs.t 70 s,taoh 10 enemy that Mr..
woIfskill is waiting. >Sme progress has
been made. A little IL n.. w knoWn, ana
In two weeks. after the last oranges are
shipped, Mr.. Graw willtaks tn, heiu ano
strike the enemy hard all along 1. 's nne,
And he will subdue the foe. By sek'
autumn there will be few Of u =
psrnicious insects in the Wolf
skill orchard. 1t viii probably cost
go, 900 to do the work, but 1t
viii be done, Most people take time to
had ont the best method to adopt when