Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-19
Not,ce tn Mail SUI Subscribers.
sATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1850.
Something About Oranges-A Big
Rancher,s Opinions and Man.

agement.
ANY one who thinks that the bed
rock has not been reached in Los An
Reles will not congratulate himself on
his astuteness three months from now.
The reaction from the great real estate
paper town "boom" of year ago has
spent it's force. There are several re-
spects in which the situation has re-
markably improved. Four or five
months ago the scale bug was thought
to be monarch of all he surveyed; and
there were grave fears that orange grow
ing would no longer be profitable in Los
Angeles county; the vine pest had made
considerable ravages and it was thought
that, if superadded to the general pro-
cess of liquidation that was then going
ON, and which has now happily been
about completed, we should have bad
season, the results would be far from
pleasant.
As a matter of fact, the season has 30
far disclosed itself as to show beyond
peradventure that we are far advanced
in the best year for the farmer and
horticulturist this county has known
since the American occupation.
More gratifying than all, the scale-bug
has been dethroned and can be handled
as readily as any other pest that the or
chardist has to encounter. Like many
another nuisance, the scale-bug retreats
before hard work. If gardener allows
his truck patch to be overrun with weeds
he will derive very little profit from it.
Some of his vegetables will die outright
while the others will be so stunted as to
fail to command g market. A period
has been put to the ravages of this for
midable insect. The Sunny Slope orange
grove, which see emed to be doomed to
destruction six months ago, now shows
immense improvement, and will soon
regain its old vigor and proft-making
characteristics.
No man but sluggard need hereafter
suffer from the onslaught of this bug,
because there are three perfect ways of
extirpating it. We will name them in
their order:
(1.) The Steele process, for which
there is patent. 1t is downright e1-
terminator of the white scale. and up
roots him root and branch.
e. The Story process, which con-
sists of mixture of rosin and caustic
soda, with Just enough of the latter to
cut the rosin. Its action is absolutely
satisfactory, if a formula readily obtain
able is followed. This formula ought to
be secured by the orchardist, as, if the
proportions of the two ingredients are
not regulated exactly, the spraying ma
chine is liable to become clogged. Both
OF these processes are sprays.
(3.) The last, and by far the most
preferable of all these methods, is simply
to direct strong stream of water on the
scale. 1t should come from the nozzle
of hose, and the power ought to be suf-
fcient to knock the scale off the tree.
This process has been tried successfully
on the Santa Anita ranch of Mr.. E. J.
Baldwin, where the head of water is
sixty feet higher than the top of his
orchard. The force OF the water from
the Los Angeles mains is quite sufficient
for this purpose. Mr.. Baldwin's first ex-
pertinent was made on tree immedi-
ately adjoining his house. 1t was per-
fectly white with the scale and the
tree was plainly dying. A strong
stream of water was directed on the
tree and the bugs were knocked off.
1t should be borne in mind that the
scale is not long-lived and that if it is
prevented from building its cottony cush-
ion, in which it deposits its eggs, it can't
breed. In three or four weeks after the
scales were knocked off the tree began to
look bright and healthy; and after one
more dose from the hose, there was no
further trouble. Mr.. Baldwin at once
proceeded to treat other trees in the
same manner, with equally gratifying
results. He says that the scale-bug has
terrors only for the lazy man. He il
now laying twenty Thousand feet of
cemented pipe through his orchard,
which will enable him to treat all his
trees to douche if they show any signs
of the insect.
Before dismissing this branch of the
subject, We will give our readers the BEN
eft of further experience of Mr.. Mon
roe, of Monrovia. The scale has never
been allowed to make any considerable
incursion into that exquisite settlement,
bat when he does come Mr.. Monroe
at once treats the trees to douche
and as he always keeps On hand large
supply of turkeys the insects are at once
gobbled up when they reach the ground.
Both turkeys and chickens seem to thrive
upon the scale bug hugely, and all or
chards are the better for having poultry
running about. By spreading a little
manure at the roots Of the trees the fowls
will peck and scratch until the last insect
il safely housed in their crsws.
We will now add word about the
profits Of orange growing. Mr.. Baldwin