The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-09-12


10 be continually applied in order 4
keep the pests in check. individual
trees may be kept clean and healthy
by continual application; but unleS;
this is done. the blight soon return;
and is as numerous as ever. You
| commissioner has had some cores
pOndence which has been published
| with Professor Albert koebele, OF
| Alameda, California, on the subject
Of introducing into these islands such
parasites and predaeiouS insects that
are the natural enemies of the several
blights and insect pests that are such
q menace TO our agriculture. The re-
/ suit is, that Professor koebele offers
/ his services rs etomologiSt for the
term Of three years, that time being
Necessary for the proper searching OF
/ the different countries that will have
I TO be visited for the natural enemies
OF the blight and insect pests that are
prevalent in this country Mr..
koebele will require Il salary of
$500 per annum, out OF which
he will defray his own hotel
bills, other expenses such as freightS,
railway and ocean fares Materials,
ETC., will have to be furnished outside
OF salary, and are estimated to not eX-
coed 5000 per anuum. The whole cost
for three years will therefore not eN-
coed $4,000. 1t is of the utmost i'm
portanee that this work be entrusted
to none other than skilled entOmolo-
giSt, as Mr.. koebele said in one of his
letters, the life, history and habits of
each parasite and predaeious insect
must be studied, and the greatest care
exercised that such insects as are sent
are free from their own particular
parasite, as it is well known that most
OF the predaeious insects and parasites
have their own particular parasites
which keeps them in check. The
most brilliant example of Mr.. KOe-
bele's work was the searching out and
discovering of the Australian lady
bug (VedaIia Cardinatis) and its in
PRODUCTION into California. The fol-
lowing extracts from Bulletin No. 81
of the state board of horticulture will
show what good work was done in
California by the vedalia:
"But for the timely arrest and prae
teal determination of the cOttony
cushion scale, the final results of its
devastation would have been meal
culable. The damage caused by its
ravages amounted to millions of dol
lars, and the wisest heads predicted
that unless some sure cure as proven
tive should be secured, the time was
not far distant when our beautiful and
fruitful orchards would become barley
fields, and the old time business of
pasturing the lands with sheep and
cattle would soon return. We had
heard that there was a parasite in
Australia that had almost entirely
exterminated the cottony cushion
scale, and it was to get these parasites
that Mr.. kOebele was sent to Austria
lia- The parasite was known as the |
LestOD ones, j minute fly that pune |
tured the scale, laid its egg, which |
Matched out into grub that made its |
meal of the scale, changed into fly, |
to again repeat its work.
Mr.. Albert KOebele left San Fran |
cisco for Australia on August 20th, |
1855, and arrived at his destination in |
iue season. He Immediately sent a |
supply of the lestopones to this
which were duly taken care /
IF on their arrival. In the meantime /
AIr. Koebele went to work TO thor
1ughly investigate the scales, their
parasites and their workings, and was
not long in discovering what our Aus
ralian friends had not done, that the
Boss scale destroyer was an entirely
kind of parasite. 1t was the
ady the TeddLid CdTdiHdIid, he
Ound to be the principal enemy Of the
.OttOny cushion scale, and he was not
ong in dropping Mr.. Fly and making
he acquaintance of her ladyship Miss
Tedalia Cardinalia. He captured sew
raj colonies Of beetles and their
arvJe. The first importation reached
ERE November 30th, another Deem
.er 29th, 1855, and still another jan
AIRY 24th, 1889. These colonies were
ent to the Wolfskill orchard in Los
angeles, and Dobbins and Chspman's
at San Gabriel, under the
are Of Professor d. W. COguiIlett, of
be chronological staff, department of
gricuiture. They soon multiplied
nd increased something after the
lrm of 4 geOmetrical progression.
IT. WolfskilI and his foreman, Mr.. {
lexander CTaw, vino knew all the
me 'that there must be such an {
uemy in Australia together with
rOfessOr COquillett, distributed thous-
uds to the anxious Orchardists, who,
caring Of their wonderful work,
Oeked in to get them. The same
-OEk was going on at the ranch of
Olonel G. r. DObbins, at San Ga
riel, where the colonel and his help
ave their entire time 20 making up
nd distributing colonies to all who .
anne for them, and they came from
r aud near. The work Of the vedalia
] Honolulu is too well known to need
~ account in this report Suffice to
y that the town was cleared Of the
,ttony custom scale by the little lady I
rd.
\ few Of the vedalias were brought
a small box and let loose. In few
eeks time the trees were sWarmiBg :
it'll them, and the cottony cushion
ale disappeared like magic An :
her instance Of Mr.. KoebeIe's skill
discovering the natural enemies Of
ale insects was his finding out and
lpOrting to California a different
dybird, the Orebus chdlgbehs, OF
eel-colOred ladybird. This insect is
ing wonders in destroying the red
ale that has been such q pest to the b
trUs fruit growers Of California A 4
cat many thousands of dollars have
en- zrauf he tho orch rrfista in their / n