The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-31
A MENACE TO ORCHARDS
ETERNAL VIGILANCE THE PRICE
OF FRUIT HEREAFTER.
Small Insect That is Destroying the
Orchards and Nurseries, The
San Jose Scale.

Probably the most destructive insect
known has recently been discovered III
North Carolina. 1t is the San Jose Scale,
and soon destroys orchards whenever 1t
once finds fOothOld, unless treated
promptly and vigorously Millions of dol
lars of loss have already resulted in
other States and vigorous laws have been
enacted to prevent its spread.
The last Legislature passed Il very inn
portant measure entitled AN Act to Pre-
vent the Introduction or Dissemination
| of Dangerous Insects and Fungous Dis
eases Affecting Crops. y commission
of three was named by the act, consist
| ing Of the Commissioner OF Agriculture,
| Mr.. s. l.. Patterson. Director of the EX-
| pertinent Station. DIR. FL. Il. Battle. and
| the president of the State Horticultural
Society, Mr.. j. Van Idndley.
This commission met Immediately after
| the adjournment Of the Legislature and
| formulated plans for the prevention of
| the spread of the Sam Jose Scale. which
| has already found Il foothold in many of
/ the orchards and nurseries of North Car
olina. as well as to prevent its introduce
| ton to other localities. In accordance
| with these plans. an expert was sent
out to visit all the nurseries in the State,
| and tn locate any infected spots. if such
occur This expert Is Prof. Gerald Nc
| Carthy. the State Rotanist and Ento-
mOlogist. s 80
| He has just returned from a trip To THE
| Eastern part of the State. where he found
| the Scale in many more localities than
| the Commission had supposed it existed.
In and around Goltbdsboro. he found it.
to a limited extent. engaged in its work
4 4
| vile and Wilmington he found the pest in
| great numbers. They were found by
| Prof. Mccarthy in every private yard
visited by him in Wilmington.
| Next week Prof Mccarthy will 60 TO
| the Western part of the State TO make
examination of the orchards and nurse
ries there.
The Commission is now getting ready
its regulations about the destruction of
these pests and they are being printed.
F, They will be distributed free of cost to
every person interested in them. 1t is
| desired to have the cooperation of the
| people throughout the State in the de-
| struction of this dangerous pest. If it
| is not done, the fruit industry is entirely
ruined.
l Rigorous measures will be adopted. and
the Commission is clothed with full pow
or 10 enforce whatever regulations they
think necessary in order TO carry out the
provisions of the law, One of the pro-
visions (which will be enforced will be
. the registration OF NIL nurserymen. deal
erS and agents, So as to ensure that the
lbnursery stock will he free from such
dread Infection.
The people of the State will doubtless
cordially cooperate with the Commission
in destroying these pests. Their interests
demand that great care should he eXer-
cisejl /; nd that no nursery stock should
! be bon ght from unreliable parties. and
certainly not from parties that cannot
he able TO show certificate signed by
the Commission.
This insect being itself very small and
inconspicuouss and a new conner to this
side of the continent is not very well
known to fruit growers, though it is a
grave menace to the future of orchard
culture in this country.
The female never possess wings; the
males are winged in the adult state, but
possess only a single pair of wings; hav-
ing no mouth, it does not consume food.
:. In all our species Of scale-bugs, the
young and females are covered by a waxy
shield or scale, composed partly of wax
and partly of the cast off or mOlted skins
of the growing insect. They have, when
Matched, six legs and pair of antennae,
or '.feelers." The young run about free
ly for q few hours after birth. but soon
select a spot settle down. and the females
never afterwards leave it. After melting
their first skin, the females lose their legs
and feelers, and in fact become merely
animated mouths and stomach. The fe-
male scale is circular, the center is q
brownish or yellowish dot, surrounded by
a darker ring, and this again by whit
ish ring. The diameter of the San Jose
female Scale is about one-tenth inch. The
male Scale is smaller and more elongated,
and is blackish in color. The eggs are
white, but are never oviposited-ehey
hatch within the body Of the mother. &
The original home of the San Jose Scale
is not known. For more than twenty
years it has been known and dreaded by
fruit growers in California, Austria, and
South America. 1t was wholly unknown
east of the Rocky Mountains previous to
1887, In that, or the year before the
Scale was brought from California upon
some Japan plum trees shipped TO the
Parry and Iovett nursersies in New Jer-
sey. From these two centers it has been
disseminated over all the Eastern States
The following list Of infected States is
compiled from Howard and Marlatt and
other sources: Alabama, Arizona. Cali
fornia, Delaware. Florida. Georgia.
Idaho. Indiana, Illinois. louisiana Mas
sachusetts. Maryland. New Jersey, New
York, New Mexico, North Carolina. Ohio.
Oregon. Pennsylvania. South Carolina
q. Tennessee O.. Virginia. Washington,