The record-union., 1897-11-22


l have taken every precaution to
guard against its Introduction into the
State. The railroad company have ex-
pressed their willingness to cooperate
with US in every way possible. l have
also requested A. Hoffman, the general
freight and passenger agent of the Mex
lcan Central Railway, to notify their
shippers not to send any oranges to
California, for in the event of their be-
ing found infested they would certain
ly be destroyed. In reply he said, 'Ac-
cording to the best information at hand
there will be no shipments of oranges
from the State of Morelos to any point
in the United States during this season,
as their oranges did not give satisfac-
ton last year. This is encouraging,
for the danger of infection will not be
so great. L also wrote to DR.. L. o.
Howard of Washington, asking if there
was any way in which he could estab-
lish quarantine station or inspector at
Ell Paso He replied that he could take
no steps in the way of establishing a
quarantine until we learn whether the
quarantine bill is likely to pass Con-
greSs at the coming session. The only
safeguard / can see against this pest
is absolute prohibition of citrus fruits
from sections where it is found, other
wise we will soon be confronted with a
pest as difficult to fight as the Goblin
moth A telegram received from DR..
Howard, dated Washington, D. c., Oc-
tober 23, 1897, informs me that peaches
in Orizaba, in the State of Vera Cruz,
Mexico, are infested with the maggots
OF Trypeta fraterculeS. This works in
the same manner as the other species
in the orange, and would be a serious
pest should it get foothold in the
peach orchards of the United States.
We have reliable information that a
similar pest attacks peaches in Austria
liza, also in South Africa In the latter
country they hardly get enough sound
fruit some seasons for home use
In my last report. i referred to an in
ternal parasite of Lecanium scales that
had done such remarkable work on Le-
canium fietcheri, Ckll., in Ottawa, Can
ada DR.. James Fletcher, the Dominion
entomologist, very kindly sent me a
box OF these beneficial insects early in
July, and they came through in good
condition. In company with County
Horticultural Commissioner A D. Pryal
l liberated them in an apricot orchard
near San Leandro, in Alameda County,
and l hope they will become established
so that they can be distributed through
out the State
Los Angeles and Alameda County
commissioners have done good work in
collecting and distributing colonies of
RhiZobius ventralis the past summer
and this fall.
In September, 1894, T liberated, at
your request, colony of these lady
birds in the extensive Centinela orange
grove of d. Freeman at Inglewood, in
Los Angeles County, and in my report
to you dated November %, 1896. l
called your attention to the great in
crease and satisfactory work of those
beetles in that orchard. To show you
that the last crop of oranges shipped by
Mr.. Freeman was satisfactory, / will
quote an item from the commercial col
umn OF the Los Angeles Times" of
May -, 1897. 1t reads:
"Inglewood Oranges.-Orange ship
ments from Inglewood are about
finished for the season. The crop this
season amounted to about forty car
loads, which is the best crop ever ship
ped from there by over twenty five
cars" This was not the result of spray
ing or fumigation or fertilizing. but to
the increased vigor of the trees. due
to their freedom from the attacks of
black scale.
AT Chula Vista. in San Diego County,
L last August saw the beneficial re-
suits of the ladybird in a number of
citrus and olive orchards, notably that
of Mr.. and Mrs. Herman in their Casa
de las Flores place. Three years ago
their citrus trees We're covered with
black scale. They applied to the State
Board of Horticulture for colony and
liberated the beetles in the orchard.
Several friends that were very So
licitOus about their neighbors' welfare
tried to induce them to fumigate. but
they steadfastly refused Upon exam
inaion of their trees / found the rhizo-
bii present, but hardly a black scale
to be seen and the trees bright and
clean. County Commissioners Hall and
Austin have distributed colonies the
past summer
AT Whittier, in Los Angeles County,
the rhiZobius ventralis had secured a
splendid start in several orchards This
is encouraging, as it shows they are
gradually taking hold in numbers more
inland. From these orchards the
Los Angeles County Commissioners
have drawn their principal supplies An
extensive olive orchard near Hollywood
that was formerly black was bright
and clean when I visited that section
in August last. Inspector George Com
pere collected a great many colonies
of rhiZobius ventralis from this orchard.
One orchard at Ellwood that has been
bright and clean for three years showed
some slight infection in one corner last
spring. The patch was left as a test
in order TO ascertain if the rhizobii
would reach it of their own accord.
During my visit in August my atten-
tion was called to the existence of the
ladybirds in all stages upon the in
Tested trees, and they were cleaning
the trees from scale. This ladybi has
bred better in confinement in our
breeding jars this season than former
ly. There has been hardly a time that
the same as we do vedalia and novius.
nave Iui HlSli|u III L. ". doWdTu u
of the Department of Agriculture with
three strong colonies of vedalia car
dinalis and novius koebelei for trans
mission to Egypt. The Egyptian Gov
ernment appealed to our Government
for assistance in an effort to again
check the spread of their cottony cush-
ion scale Icerya aegyptiacum), as it
was doing serious damage in that coun-
try In sending the colonies, DR. How
ard stated that they were sent through
the courtesy of the State Board of Horti-
culture of California. On October 4th
DR.. Howard wrote that he had re-