St. Landry democrat., 1891-01-24
Fruit Pest determination.
SOMETHING IN REGARD TO THE EFFECTIv
WORK IN AN ALAMEDA COUNTY SCHOOL.

| sunni hl4So IN hhoAnO IL Ihn d
WORK IN AN ALAMEDA COUNTY SCHOOL.
An all engrossing topic in this section
this fall is fruit pests, their nature and
determination. Owing to the Importance
of the subject and it's direct bearing upon
the leading industry of this section, there
was a general feeling of satisfaction
among our people when it was decreed
that entomology should hereafter be one
of the regular topics for study in the
schools of Alameda county. P. M. Fisher,
our devoted county superintendent of
schools, prepared for this purpose small
work on the subject, which is now used
as text. book in the schools, purpose
which it serves admirably. Here in Gen.
treville there exists peculiar need for
| some such work in our school, owing to
| the fact of our large foreign population.
pupils hear no English spoken at home.
| Their parents are Portuguese, thrifty and
industrious, but, not speaking our Ian.
guage, they naturally enough take no hor-
ticultural journals and come very little in
contact with our best informed orchard
lists. AS consequence, it is in the or
chards of this class that the fruit pests
most do flourish without hindrance or ap-
plication of the best known remedies for
their determination.
The presence Of these infested orchards
in the midst of an orchard section is con.
slant menace to all. Therefore, when the
requirement was made that entomology
should be taught in our public schools,
the local school board determined that it
should be effectively done that the child
rem should be made thoroughly to under
stand the need of proceeding energetically
against the fruit pests, and instructed to
tell their parents at home what they them
selves were taught at school upon the SUBJ
iect. An apter illustration of the practi-
cal workings of that safeguard of our
government, the public school, it would
be difficult to find.
For use In the school the trustees have
provided powerful microscope and suit
able apparatus, and fortunately for the
complete success of the project, the prin-
cipal, Prof. Leslie A. Jordon, an efficient
teacher and an old newspaper man in this
State, has proved an enthusiastic coadju-
tor In the work.
Under Mr.. Jordan's instruction the
children have proved interested and intel
ligent pupils, eagerly cooperating with
him in the dissemination of knowledge
upon the subject, bringing infected
branches from the orchards and carrying
home implicit directions for dealing with
the destroyer.
The greater part of the present term has
been devoted to studying the habits and
treatment of the brown apricot scale,
| which has been, for some time past, a
dangerous menace to the orchards of this
vicinity. There has been an constant
effort among our advanced horticulturists
to eradicate this pest, but early this sea-
son the minute brown scales were to be
seen in appalling numbers, lying along
the branches, all ready, in due course of
time, to send forth their armies upon
work OF devastation. One of these scales,
when placed under the microscope (about
500 power, may be seen to be filed with
myriads of minute insects, invisible to the
naked eye. but active, hungry fellows
nevertheless,AWho live upon the juices of
the tree and thus drain it's very life.
In instructing the children as to the best
means of exterminating this scale, Prof
Jordon has had the able cooperation of
Mr.. William Barry. the resident horticul-
tural commissioner, who has had large
experience with this particular tree foe.
A year ago the scales beset his peach trees
to such an extent that the life of his fine
orchard was threatened. His neighbors
and orchardists throughout this section
had tried spraying and washing ad inf
nitum, but with poor success, as in most
cases they either injured the trees by the
severity of the application used, or, fear
ing this result, they went to the opposite
extreme and used remedies 80 mild ms to
have no effect whatever upon the scale.
Mr.. Barry, however, went into the sub
ject with thoroughness and has reduced
the matter to science. The result Of his
investigation and experimentation he has