Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-13
Brief History of the Indus
try in South California.
THE PRESENT STATUS OF 1T.
Resume of the Orchards in Various
Districts of this Section, with
their Yield and Prefts.

IN California to begin the work OF convert
ine the native Indians from their pagan
idolatry to the faith Of the cross. In l7os
the first mission was established at San
Diego. Two years later the mission at San
Gabriel, nine miles east of where Los An
eeles now stands, was founded. Fruit trees
and vines we're brought by these Jealous
missionaries in their left hand, while the
Christian creed was offered by their
right. It is therefore more than q hum
dred years since the first oranges grown
in this section regaled the surprised pal
ate of the rude aborigines of the land.
In 1881 the first orange orchard was
planted in the city of Los Angeles by
Jean Louis Vignes. He obtained the
trees from the San Gabriel mission, where
a good orchard had fourished for more
than a generation. Twenty years later his
trees were yielding about 6 900 oranges
ayear. Some time later Hon. d. B. Wilson
went quite extensively into orange cult
ure in San Gabriel valley, and j. W:
Wolfekill set out the frst large orchard
in Los Angeles, where the Arcade depot
now stands. Small orchards were
planted in various parts of this section,
but it was in the last years of the decade
ending in 1870 that the first effort to
make orange e-growing distinctive In
dustry in the section was undertaken BY
the late Judge North, the founder OF
Riverside. From that time up to the
present the development Of the industry
has been more or less continuous. From
1880 to 1884 there was great activity
manifested in planting more orchards,
but about this time the appearance OF the
white cottony cushion scale, and the
ravages already wrought by the red
scale acted to check the setting
out of trees. That panic is at
an end, and the present year
will witness the planting OF more trees
than perhaps ever was done in any three
years before. Many people well qualified
to speak in the premises estimate that q
million orange trees will be planted in
Los Angeles county this year.
THE HISTORY OF THE PEST.
The insect pests that attacked the
orange groves of this section were as
strange dispensation as ever has been
chronicled in the history Of any enter
prise on record.
About 1880 the red scale made its ap
pearance in this county at Sunny Slope
and about Orange. 1t came from
Australia on some imported trees. A
few years later the white, cottony cushion
scale, or icerya p,lrchdsi, made it's ap-
pearance almost simultaneously at
dozen places in the county. For years the
most indefatigable war was maintain
against the two pests. Horticulture was
new business to the most Of the orange
growers, and the strange nature OF these
pests made them formidable to the most
Intelligent and most experienced men in
the business. All sorts Of washes,
sprays and gases were tried, but to little
practical avail. The trouble with them
all was that all parts of the tree could
not be reached, and whenever bug was
left he increased and multiple after the
law of his kind so rapidly that, before
an orchard of five acres could all be
treated, those trees first sprayed we're
again infested. All sorts of methods
were tried, and it was alleged that the
carelessness of the growers was largely
at fault. OF course, great care kept the
trees clean for while, while neglect al.
lowed the bugs to spread over an orchard
In month.
Many intelligent people thought some
remedy would grow out of natural laws,
by which the destructive parasites would
be swept away. There were many
reasons for such hope; but hope de
ferred makes the heart sick in this as in
other sffairs. During the summer OF
1873 there seemed to come ray OF hope.
The white scale bug died from some
disease so that millions OF the pest per-
ished from the trees. Orchards which
nit N nc.
came partially clean. But some other
remedy had to be found, or the pes,
might return and the orchards be lost.
It had been we'll known for years thai
the same pest attacked the orange groves
of the Antipodes, and that those of Aus
tralia were we'll nigh destroyed by it. Ir
that country there appeared a parasite
which fed upon the scale parasite, and il
q few years the bug destroyer put {
timely end to the tree destroyer. ThiI
second parasite is an insect like the lady
bug, 80 we'll known in this section. Gu
insect is leaf eater, but the new ont
from Australia is carnivorous. He live
on bugs, and prefers the cottony
cushion scale before all others. Tit
knowledge of these facts came to tn
ears of Los Angeles or nge growers
and they were discussing the question
of sending q man to Australia to get
colony of the ladybugs, when Professo
Riley, the United States Entomologist q
Washington, informed them that tn
Government would do that. Accord
ingly, Professor Keobele was dispatched
to Melbourne on this important mission
He was person of capital fitness for tn
work; but he found novel difficulty II
the accom- plishing Of his purpose. Th'
ladybug was there in plenty, but 1t wal
hard to find bugs TO feed him on durinI
the transit to this country. In conse
quence of this. the work of shipping tn
bug-eater was slow in the extreme.
About the 1st of April, 1889, tw'
colonies of the bug eater were receives
here from Australia. One, consisting o
two boxes, was placed in the trees Q
Colonel j. X. Dobbins, OF San Gabriel
These, according to the directions of th
Government officers, instead OF bein
kept Gagged until they ehould multipl.
into strong colony, we're placed at ono
in the open, to see how they might be
have when left to their own way in thei
new abode.
The history of the bug in this section
is we'll known. The white, cotton.
cushion scale is gone, and the orchard
this pest had we'll nigh destroyed ar
this year rejoicing in new and vigorou
growth that is manifest to the eye az fs
AZ the orchards can be seen. The VedOLit