Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-24

the black scale (lecanium olae) and of
the woolly, aphis of the apple. The first
orchard visited was that of Mr.. Albert
f. Kercheval, en- Lemon street, near
Los Angeles. This is one Of the Oldest
orchards in Los Angeles county, and Ia
infested with the red scale. In this or
chard has been placed g. grand total OF
442 of the steel-blue ladybirds 20.
chaly beus) said to be effective parasites
of the red ecale, in different colonies
during a period of about five to 10
months. The trees (oraDge and lemon)
upon which they were liberated, con-
tain an abundant supply OF food in the
way OF red scale, were well protected
from winds, and afforded every condi-
tion calculated to favor the parasite and
their multiplying. A painstakiug en-
deavor to find evidence of the lady birds
being established resulted in finding
Larvae, pup@, beetles, and their eggs,
but only in comparatively small mum.
ber. A survey of surrounding trees
failed to reveal any evidence to prove
that the parasites in the beetle state
had spread to any extent. To all in
tents the parasites have made no appre-
ciable inroads Oh the scale not even on
the two trees on which colonies have
been liberated. Mr.. Kercheval, who
he's watched the o. chaly ybeus very care
fully, gives it as his opinion that they
have made no showing" on the red
scale since their advent in his orchard"
The second orchard visited was that OF
Samuel Mckinley, on Wilmington
avenue. In this orchard were placed )
on May IA, 1892, colony of ITO of l..
conformica, ladybird said to be effec
tive in eating the wooley aphis of the
| apple. The apple orchard of Mr.. Nc
Kinley is we'll protected from winds, and
some of the trees Especially the one
upon which the ladybirds were liber-
ated) were well supplied with aphis for
food. Nevertheless, the net result here
was just about nil. A search of many
trees failed TO show up single speci-
men larvae, pupa or beetle, and none OF
that of Mr.. William Niles on Washing
ton street. This is also an old orchard,
badly infected with red and black scale,
which has net been sprayed or fumi-
gated for the past six years. In this
grove Prof. Coqnill ct liberated colony
OF $40 0. chaiy beus on the 18th day of
May. The evidence of their being
Established" in this orchard is dis
couragiug in the extreme. Out of the
entire $40 scarcely any larvae, pup@ or
BEETLES were to be found, while patches
of eggs were equally scarce; still, larvae,
pup9, eggs and beetles were discovered.
The examination here was very thor
ough. Some of the growers climed into
the tops OF the trees on which the para
sites had been liberated to make critical
and minute observations, but without
any encouraging results. A careful in
specti on OF surrounding trees failed to
reveal the presence of the lady birds in
any stage of development.
According to Prof. Koebele's state
ment, these parasites have but
three generations each year, and that
each female, after making deposit of
about $50 eggs, which, if all Matched,
would produce that number of perfect
insects. Allowing that the lady birds
/ in transit were more or less injured, and
that many of them had already de-
posted their eggs before being shipped,
now there surely ought to be sufficient
number of healthy insects to have bred
and multiplied by this time in sufficient
numbers to establish colonies in our
orchards and proved their capacity to
eat the scale. Unless they multiplied
rapidly since (if Mr.. Koebele is correctly
they have but two generations year,
and the scale four and five, it is at once
obvious that they never will be as eff
ective on the red and black scale as the
vedalia on the white. Ii only 25 per
cent OF the grand total OF parasites that
have been received had paired and each
female had produced $50 eggs, and rs
per cent of these had Matched and bred
again, we should now have had sufficient
to have made some progress in deter
mining their value and their capacity to
clean cur trees Of the red and black
scale. As it is, they have not shown
either the capacity to breed or to eat
the scale that the twice stabbed ladybird
(chilocorus bivulnerus) has shown.
That in view of the above facts (Which
anyone can verify for himself) we can
not hold out much encouragement to
the fruit growers so far as these preda-
cious insects are concerned. Though
not pronouncing them failure, we can
not on the other hand pronounce them,
as effective on red aud black scales as
the vedalia on white" We suggest
that they be given every care and atten-
tion in the orchards where they have
been placed in the hopes that they will
yet become established in the broad
bcuec, i, css as CASCtlVc paTdSlLcSs ulTs
Koebele says it will require four and
possibly five years until they multiply
in sufficient numbers to not only stock
all the orchards of Southern California,
but free them of the red and black
scale. He estimates that by next April
or May there will be sufficient to colo
nize many orchards. Let us hope he is
correct in his statements, but we fear
that hope is vain. In the meantime we
| advise that the fight against injurious
insects by artificial means be continued
with vigor; and particularly do we en-
dorse the movement by which the coun-
ties shall make uniform and general
cleansing of all infected trees by fumi-
cation at cost to the growers. We en-
treat all owners of scale infected trees to
support united and general warfare
against injurious insects all along the
! line. DR.. N. Fl. CLAFLIN,
JOHN BURR,
PROF. D. w. CooUILLET,
Committee.
| The above report was adopted with
| out dissenting voice, and was signed
by all the fruit-growers present at the
meeting, as follows: w. Ormiston, Azu.
sa; @. G. Thompson, Pasadena; James
! Slauson, Azusa: Thomas Nelms, Pasa-
dena; @. N. Wilson, San Fernando; J.
I'll. Dunn, Pomona; L. Wilhelm, Los
| Angeles; Granger Hyer, M. D., Ontario !;
| w. R. Barbour, Covina; s. A. Pease,
Ontario; George Compere, Los Angeles !;