The herald., 1896-08-15
Some Work of Our Agricultural College

Some Work OF Our Agricultural College
1t will be great relief to thousands
OF orchardists to learn at last from the
report of the work of the agricultural
experiment stations of the University OF
California that the black scale is of lit
tie or no detriment to their orchards.
TO be sure the learned professor says:
1T is conceded by all that the insect
does an immense amount OF INJURY.
But then his reasoning upon the eco
nomics of the scale" is such clear logic
and shows conclusively that the damage
may be very easily overcome. He has
sifted these injuries into three classes:
"First-That occasioned by withdraw
al of the sap from the plant.
'Second-The injured tissue resulting
from the punctures of the insect
"Third-The excretions of the insect
with the accompanying injury to the
foliage and fruit by the accumulation of
dust and the growth of fungi.
"Q) The loss of sap involves the loss
to the plant of certain amount of food
material and of water. The seriousness
of the loss depends upon the number of
scale insects and the condition of the
plant The exact amount of sap extract
ed cannot be estimated with any degree
of exactness, but must be many times
the weight of the insects. The weight of
the insects is not as much as one might
imagine; they may amount. on an or
ange tree, to the weight of an orange.
or possibly two or three, if large tree
and badly infested. The loss of water is
probably more than that evaporated
from that amount of fruit and the loss
of food material also larger; but taking
the amount at double, the loss from
this source might be equaled by remov-
ing. say half dozen oranges early in
the season."
1t requires an immense amount Of
genius to think a thunk like the above,
and it is surprising that some one has not
years ago discovered that the injury
done to an orange tree by the black scale
could be overcome by the picking of
half dozen green oranges. Now that
the idea has been struck upon by this
Moses of the chronological world it is
to be hoped that no orange rancher
whose orchard is infested will be 50
thoughtless or economical as to neglect
this simple duty "of removing his half
dozen oranges early in the season."
"C) The excretions of the insect con-
sists of copious watery material which
on drying becomes slightly sticky and
probably contains very small amount
of sugar. 1t holds the dust firmly and
seems to be very suitable media for
the development of fungi, especially the
species known as the "black smut" fun
gus. The secretion sometimes gums up
some of the breathing pores. but this can
hardly be counted an injury as the leaf
has superabundance of these pores
the leaf where they are safe from this
contingency. The dust and fungi pro-
duce injury in two ways: BY covering
leaf and forming a screen through
which the action of the sun on the
chlorophyl of the leaf in celebrating food
is diminished; and second by disfigur-
ing the fruit. making washing neces-
sary and entailing an expense and de-
crease in market value. These injuries
are OF most serious nature, and the
latter. In the case of citrus fruits, is often
lar in excess of the amount that a gas
reatment the most expensive method)
Would cost. In most situations the dust
is a very inconspicuous element of the
smut ana i'll such cases the application
OF 1ungicide might be the cheapest
ana most satisfactory treatment
tnorough washing spray of water re-
peated often enough would keep a tree
clean no matter how badly infested
so IL appears that the third injury
named by our state entymologist is ''of
most serious nature" if left to itself
nut is really very easily overcome nv
the Jappiication of a fungicide" IT is
a pity that the professor should have
brushed over this matter of fungicides
as he has done, with the simple stroke
or a pen, because it might be of practi-
cal knowledge to the rancher to know
tne name of a fungicide and the method
or applying it. There is a large list of
fungicides. We would suggest, not to
cumber the situation but three, bata-
napthol oXynapthoic acid and the sim
pie oil of cloves. Any one of these fungi
cides might be applied by an automatic
machine, attached to each scale, that
would spray once in twenty-four hours
tne "copious watery material exuded
from the scale. These machines un-
douptedly could be made very cheaply
in Japan, where labor is cheap. These
machines could be removed at the end
OF the season and stored for future use.
The most practical suggestion in this
marvellous report; is that "a thorough
washing spray of water repeated often
enough would keep tree clean, no mat
ter how badly infested" 1t is a pity
that our professional entymologist'
does not state how often it would be
necessary to apply the spray of water.
Tor 1t is such simple method. In those
districts where the water is not under
pressure but is delivered in open bitches,
all that would be necessary to put this
practical method in use would be the
erection OF tank about 100 feet high
in order to get the necessary pressure
FOR spraying; pumping apparatus to
put the water in the tank and the pip
ing of the oshard with wrought-iron
pipe. number of faucets and a few
hundred feet of hose. One of the great
advantages of this method would be
the employment of numberess boys to
hold the nozzles and squirt water on
the trees. Such an outfit on a ten-acre
ranch should not cost to exceed $3.50 per
acre.
'"The second class of injury by the
black scale, viz, that caused by the
puncture where the insect in
serts its beak." Well, we won't say
much about this, but any American who
has not ingenuity enough to fill up the
holes made by so insignificant a little
creature as the black scale, does not
deserve to be rancher in California,
but should devote his attention to peda-
gogics electricity or one of the learned
professions.
The conclusion of this portion of the
report is as follows: ut can thus be
seen that each kind of injury from the
attack Of black scale can be reduced to
practically nothing by the use of meth
DDS which are not calculated to destroy
the insect"
In other words, the injury done by