Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-07
THE SCALE PEST.
What Is To Be Seen at the Place Of
F. o. Cass.

going on about the scale pest on the
place of Mr.. F. o. Cass on Jefferson
street near Alameda. 1t is the old Lut-
wieler place. Mr.. Cass and the County
Board of Horticultural Commissioners
have had some contention for months
past, the board insisting on the spraying
of the orchard and Mr.. Cass resisting
doing this, his contention being that he
had parasite or variety OF parasites
that were destroying the scales, red,
black and white, and that to spray
would destroy the colonies of parasites
which were bringing the scales TO an
| end. This contention has been going on
with more or less energy since last Octo-
! Der, when Mr.. Cass first began
| to hope that the parasites would do the
work better than the washes or gases
used for the purpose.
Last Saturday, at the invitation of
Mr.. Cass, HERALD reporter visited the
orchard in order to be able to see Just
what is to be seen there. The reporter
does not pretend to be an entomologist,
and neither does Mr.. Cass. 1t is pre-
sumed that few, if any, of the commits
sioners will make claim to be- The re-
porter, however, has had some little ex-
perience with the scales of all sorts, an
experience which has cost him some
thing.
On the way to the Cass place, notes were
made of number of other orchards.
some of which had been cut down to
bare poles, and nearly all of which had
been sprayed. Now, as one drives up
to the Cass place he will notice that all
4 tl&.aA Il L. T. L
trees have decidedly sickly appear
ance, while others appear to be in better
health.
After going over the place with Mr..
Cass, the reporter had learned that parts
of the orchard had been more infected
than others, and that part of the trees
had been treated with the Martin spray
and that other trees had not been so
treated. He also had learned that there
is hardly live scale of any
sort in the orchard. Not one cottony
cushion scale was found, very few
black scales were discovered, and as few
red scales. The old shells are there in
abundance of both the black and red,
but it is almost impossible to find live
specimen anywhere. More than this,
the trees all are putting out as vigorous
new growth of wood as the reporter
ever saw in any orchard at any time.
Not only the wood that was heretofore
but little affected by the scale
is making new wood but all
over the orchard, on dozens of trees,
hundreds of branches that have looked
as dead as if burned from the deyasta-
tion of the scale, are all putting out a
fine new growth of young wood. All
this new growth is as green as emerald,
and there is not discernible anywhere
the least appearance of any new attack
OF the scale being made on this tender
wood. No more rema, kable effect has
ever been seen. 1t is the most hopeful
sign for the future the reporter has yet
seen.
Mr.. Cass states that in October last
his orchard was badly infested with red
and black scale. He noted the presence
of several varieties of small flies among
the trees, and also of an army OF the
twice-tabbed ladybug, in two varieties,
one the common variety, and another
somewhat smaller. Both of these were
plying their work of destruction at
rapid rate, and Mr.. Cass thought the
flies were also devouring the scales. He
has waited for six months, and now
whether his theories are all right or
indisputable-the scales OF all sorts
are gone, and his trees are in far better
health than they have been in for years.
The trees however, that were not sprayed
are just as free from scale as those that
were sprayed, and they are far more
vigorous in all respects.
The only insect parasite preying on
the pest that the reporter found on
Saturday was the ladybug. These were
not discoverable at all in the orange
orchard, but were in large numbers in
the pear orchard, where they seemed to
be attracted by the San Jose
scale, which is there in numbers In
many cases the pear trees have been
cleaned of this pest, and the trees that
have been looked upon as dead or nearly
so, are reviving The inner bark is free
from the red stain left by this scale,
and is green and healthy in appearance.
Mr.. Cass thought the failure to find
the flies at work was due to the overcast
state of the sky, and that on clear
day they would be found in abundance
There is no theorizing about this mat
ter. The reporter does not theorize but
gives the facts. There are the facts set
forth in plain unpublished manner, and
they will bear any amount of investi-
CATION.