Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-13
THE RED SCALE.
An Interesting Paper Read by mr.
H. Hamilton.


1he first importation of this citrus pest
into Southern California was from Aus
fralia, and was on trees divided between
Mr.. Haywood and Mr.. Huntington, two
pioneer nurserymen of Los Angeles
county. Their destructive character was
not then known. To us ignorance was
bliss. They have now spread far and
wide, and have taxed to the uttermost
the ingenuity of fruit-grewers for their
destruction.
The insect when first born is an ovoid
yellow sack, to many eyes microscopic. |
IL remsins in that condition less than an |
hour, when antenn@ and feet make their |
appearance and locomotion begins. Ii
il is on citrus tree it is at home and |
begins at once searching place to locate |
for future development. Its first choice
for location is on the fruit, second, leaf
third, tender limb, and fourth, the body
of TIE tree. When it finds good place
which generally takes day or two-it
inserts its pill into the fruit, leaf or limb,
and begins to feed on the sap OF the tree.
1t now begins to grow and secrete wax
for a covering or scale. We must give 1t
the credit Of being clean insect. 1t
secretes none of the filth that comes
from the white and black scales and
many other insects. 1t secretes only its
own covering.
When this insect is fully developed
which requires two or three months-it
is found to possess three skins, one ven
trail and two dorsal. The upper dorsai
is transparent, the second is OF reddish
brown, and gives it the name red scale.
The body below the covering always re-
tains the yellow color. The colored skin
contains q center and two concentric
rings. The outer one is open to allow
space for the ov;positor. The male never
becomes as large as the female, and is
not round, but oblong. with exuvi@
nearest the anterior end. The posterior
end furnishes room for the development
of his wings. When the sun is low
morning or evening the creature can be
seen darling from branch to branch and
from tree to tree in the sunbeams. The
limbs for locomotion furnished by nature
are very Yudimentary and clumsy, and
if the insect falls from the tree it is
quite probable it can never ascend the
tree again. As soon as it locates and
begins to secrete it's covering it has no
more use for legs, and they speedily dis
appear. They become involved in the
secretion, and form part of the scale.
This description does not apply to the
Bo-called red scale of the San Gabriel
valley.
Reproduction begins when the female
is two months old and continues all the
summer through and into the winter. If
an adult female be dissected and ex-
amined under a microscope of high
power, only from three to four eggs, in
various stages of development, will be
found, only one of which will be suffi-
eiently mature for exit, and the others
graded to minimum. Matthew Cook
thinks that from two t, four per day are
sent forth for q season, and that three or
four broods follow each other during
summer; but it has become evident to
me that but one per day is placed, and
that, not in broods, but constant, until
the storms of winter end the whole busi-
ness.
The insect world is full of mystery.
Gress progress has been made during the
last half century, but multitude OF
problems remain unsolved. IN 1923,
Baron Won Siebold and Baron Won
Bueeps, scientists in the employ OF the
Prussian Government, experimental in
SILICA with the egg of the honey bee,
using the highest powered microscopes,
and unveiled the mysteries that had for
ages involved that wonderful insect. The
true partherncgenesis of that hymenop-
terra developed by these two gentlemen
has already made the world flow with
honey. These experiments throw light
on our pathway in our chronological
studies.
The question has been asked thou
sand times at our pomological meetings
and elsewhere: How do the scale in
sects, being wingless and footless, sue
ceed in spreading themselves from tree
TO tree, and from grove to grove 30 rap
idly? The stereotyped answer has been,
30, by the birds, the bees and gossamer
spiders" Is it possible that Nature has
been 80 lame in her provision for the
spread of her own offspring? No ento-
mologist has, 80 far as my knowledge
goes, attempted to tell US anything OF
the time and manner of the formulation
of the red scale. When this lie told il
will plainly solve the problem. 1t is
fact we'll observed that the wingless
scale and phyIloxera spread in the direc'
ton of the prevailing wind. An orange
grove infected with the red scale will
spread the insects broadcast for miles
away in the direction of the prevailing
winds, and lodge them on vines. treei
and weeds and every description of veg
citation. 1 know this from actual obser
yation. The Santa Ana canon, in th'
latter part of the summer, is filled witt
them throughout it's entire length, ant
they are found on the mistletoe boughl
of the sycamore, the castor bean and OF
the teDs of the gum trees. How do the,
get there? I will give my theory 70
what it is worth. The male in coitiol
mounts on the wind, bearing his loa'
with his long wings wherever the win'
watts him, and it matters but little t.
him where he leaves his load. hav'
seen pumpkins in the field nicely specke'
with red scale.
The picture, to the horticulturist, is no
o pleasant one to contemplate. But
may be remembered that these insect
cannot survive the winter on deciduou
trees and annual plants. Their home
the citrus tree and if that is kept free o
them they must disappear.
Two methods for it's destruction arr
now in use-the rosin wash, and fumiga
ton by hydrocyanic acid gas-each o
which is available. Several orchards Il
Orange county have been greatly bene
fited by the use of the rosin wash. som