Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-03
THOSE TAHITI BUGS
Quarantine Officer Craw's
Official Report.
An Interesting Statement
About Tahiti Orange Trees.
The Bugs Mr.. Craw Claimed to Have
Found.
A Concise Oficiai History of an Inter
esting Matter to Ranchers and
Nursery HTen-A List of the
Bugs Found.

horticultural commissioners that they
were infected with scale bugs, and the
subsequent proceedings in court, are
familiar to the public. Mr.. Alexander
Craw, the state quarantine officer, has
submitted his report to the state board
OF horticulture. The following extracts
are taken from the document:
Early in the spring 1 learned that a
schooner was chartered to bring a cargo
OF young orange trees from Tahiti. The
vessel was due early in May, but owing
to calms and unfavorable winds they
did not appear until the date above
mentioned. On August 18th 1 received
telegram from George J. Mitchell,
secretary of the Los Angeles county
horticultural commission, informing nae
that the schooner Lena Sweasey had
arrived. | left for Los Angeles and the
following day, after conferring with the
county horticultural board, proceeded to
San Pedro.
The trees were packed in open boxes
or crates with soil about the roots;
lew OF the cases appeared to have been
heated, as the trees were covered with
dry fungus.
AS the soil in some of the boxes was
too high about the stems, it was con-
sldered advisable to remove the trees to
shallow trenches twenty-five feet long
and five feet wide. Large oiled canvas
sheets sufficient to cover a trench were
used; these were spread over the trees.
and the ends and edges covered with
soil to prevent the gas escaping. To
generate the gas two earthenware. ves-
sells were used, one at each end of the
trench, into which was placed three
ounces of fused cyanide of potassium
and Six fluid ounces of water, and when
everything was ready six fluid ounces of
sulphuric acid were added to each, and
the tent Immediately closed down and
allowed to remain forty minutes. This
was double the amount of chemicals
necessary, but Mr.. w. F. Collins, of
Ontario, the gentleman experimenting
the work for the owners (Messrs. Me-
serve Sons, of Pomona), thought it
advisable to use charge sufficiently
strong to insure the death of every in
sect upon the trees, The work was
done on the night of June oath. Messrs.
A. f. Kercheval and John Burr of the
Los Angeles county board of horticul-
tural commissioners and were present
in the interest of the county and
state.
Before the gassing sent the follow
ing telegram to Attorney General Hart
at Sacramento:
Los ANGELES, June "a, 1891.
Cargo OF orange trees at San Pedro
from Tahiti, badly infested with scale
insects, several OF which not found in !
this state. Trees quarantined and or
dered them disnfected, which is being
done. Owners claim right to remove
trees Immediately after, which am not |
willing to concede. Have 1 legal power
to hold trees say fourteen days or until
/ can determine if the scales are all de-
stroyed. This is very urgent, wire an
swer Immediately.
ALEXANDER CRAw,
Quarantine Officer.
The following prompt reply was re-
ceived at San Pedro, signed by w. H. |
Layson, first deputy attorney general:
1T is my opinion that you keep infested |
trees until you can determine whether
or not the insects are dead. More the
reason when you discover new Species"
Two weeks after the first fumigation,
Prof. d. w. Coquillett, assistant United I
States entomologist; Horticultural Com
missioners Kercheval, Burr and Mitch
ell, and visited San Pedro, and found
live specimens of the large mining
SCALE" chionaspis biclavis, Comstock.
We consider this one of the most de-
structive scales that has come under
our notice, from the gnarled and warty
appearance of the wood where the in
sects locate, and also from its remark
able habit of burrowing under the very
onid Of hn
to a certain extent. protecting the scale
from the deadly hydrocyanic acid gas.
The scale is light-colored, but as the
thin layer over it retains all the
characteristic markings of the bark
surrounding the insect, it is very
difficult to detect. AS the fumi-
CATION was not success second notice |
was served by the board upon the own
ers, on July Sth, to again treat the trees.
Five days after the second fumigation |
an examination revealed the fact that
some were still alive, and third gass-
ing was made by the owners in hopes of |
having the trees in such a condition |
that they would pass at the next inspec-
ton. On July 18th we again found live |
mining scales" some of them having |
living young under them that tried 70 |
make their escape when the scale was |
removed. After such showing the re-
sponsibility of liberating such trees,
even after very thorough and careful
examination, was greater than we cared
to assume. So stated the facts to the
attorney-general and asked his advice
about commencing condemnation pro-
ceedings to have the trees declared a
nuisance and destroyed. On the night
of July 10th a triple amount of
chemicals were used. On the 2lst, the
date set for the official examination, in
with Commissioners Kercheval
and Burr, we made another inspection
and still found live scales and eggs. Mr..
Kercheval also found an undetermined
borer upon the stem under ground) of
one of the trees. This is new pest to
and at a subsequent exam
ination secured more specimens and
will carefully breed them to the winged
state in order to ascertain the family to
which they belong. This borer has
been claimed by the importers to be
a native species, and that the trees
became infested after their arrival.
This undoubtedly is not correct, other
wise they would have been found attack
ing the orange trees in the county. The
largest specimens found measured one
half inch in length by little over one
eighth inch in diameter. 1t is a
cylindrical grub and resembles the