Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-10-14
SCALE AND PARASITE.


L
Sprayed Orchards Greatly Improved
The Lace Winged Fly.
On Friday last, in company with A.
Pierotti, a representative Of this journal
travelled through several orchards at
Yorba and Placentia in search of scale
upon trees that had lately been sprayed.
In L. w. Kirby's orchard at Yorba,
probably the worst infested section in the
county, the scale we're dead and dying
on all hands. To be sure there were yet
numerous live ones, that will ct necessi-
tate another spraying. But it is safe to
say that over four-fi fths of the pests have
been eradicated. At J. FL. Berlin's Or
chard, further up the river, the same
havoc had been created among the scale.
A section hand in the employ OF the Cali
fornia Central, which runs directly in
front OF Mr.. Berlin's residence, had recent
lyshown him piece ofscale-infestedw wood
cut from a willow tree growing in the
river bed short distance from the resi-.
dence. The wood was literally covered
with scale, but it was difficult to deter
mine whether the pest were OF the va
riety that necessitate spraying. Mr..
Berlin states that the willow trees in the
river bed are perfect breeding place for
these pests, and suggests that the proper
authorities investigate the matter. Re-
bug, somewhat smaller and of brighter
and darker red than the common variety,
at work upon the red scale infesting his
orange trees. Upon looking closer he
discovered the new pest destroyers were
~ I'M in 10 voH la Ry,t
in a day or two several birds, different
in appearance from any he had ever seen
here, made descent upon the lady bugs
and devoured them.
Returning by way of Placentie one
drives through a we'll watered section.
Here the different zapjas that supply the
water for the entire valley are in close
proximity, while the magnificent
Orange ditch on the other side of the
river is but short distance away. This
latter ditch is one of the best in the
State. 1t is twelve feet wide, cemsnted
in many places, and carries three feet of
water night and day. Some stretches of
the ditch are probably two miles in
length without sign of deviation from
it's straight course. The first orchard in
spscted at Placentia was that of John
Wagner, where the scale bug is even
now thing Of the past. Mr.. Wagner's
vineyard of sixty-two acres will be
grubbed out ss soon as the second crop
of grapes are taken from the vines.
This vineyard resisted the attack of the
grape disease longer than any in
this section, and for years had
the reputation Of being the best lot Of
vines in the lower part of the State.
Six months ago it was believed the
vineyard would be able to weather the
storm and defy the ravsges of the blight.
But recently the luxuriant rows of vines
have showed traces of disease and Mr..
Wagner has decided to Gig them up.
w. Il. McFadden's beautiful place was
next looked into, and scale found to be
going at rapid rate. After accepting
glass OF the gentlemau's white Zinfandel
the pest inspectors departed. At r. Ii.
Gilman's mammoth orchard of liz acres
the trees were found to be as healthy and
clean as it is possible for them to be.
Bugs in Mr.. Gilman's orchard are de.
cidedly few and far between. His trees
are loaded with green oranges and will
produce more fruit this year than
last season. He has received one hun
bred orange leaves from Professor CO.
quillette containing specimens of the
newly discovered lace winged fly, which
is wiping out the red scale in the San
Gabriel valley in similar fashion to the
determination of Il 9 white scale by the
lady bug. The fly is about the size of a
head of needle, and with Mr.. Gilman's
glass is magnifed several hundred times.
Viewed under the glass the parasite is a
study. 1t is of waspish nature, and
ought certainly to be calculated to in
spire terror within the breast of the av-
erage red scale. It has two golden eyes,
discernible in the glass, and in appear.
ance may be Iikened to an apes face,
resem bling Mr.. Crowley rather forcibly.
Mr.. Gilman has liberated the flies upon
trees in his orchard.-[ Anaheim Gazette.