The herald., 1897-09-16
Fighting the B1 ack Scale

black scale is unquessi onably the most
serious and destructive insect now work
Ing generally in the ciNrus. and 1 nigh
add, olive groves OF Southern California.
e is also true, that when not properly
treated the loss to orc bard and fruit is
often by no means inco nsiderable. That
those orchardsts who have learned how
10 best combat this pes ard are aSs64u-
pus in putting in practice what they
know are saving imm ensely is surely
true.
SPRAYING FOR SCftLE INSECTS
That the various sprays. Kerosene
emulsion, resin wash, and the various
soaps, all have virtue is certainly true.
Ii is probably true that il applied sufli-
riently thorough and often that they
would keep the scale insects well in
check. These substances Kill by coa-
tact and to touch every insect in trees
with foliage as dense as that of citrus
trees is by no means an easy task. Ii is
quite probable that in young trees the
first four or five years after setting,
spraying is the cheapest and easiest way
to fight these orchard pests. Coupled
with a great deal of observation, that
we may Know when and how Otter to
spray, am sure from my own experience
that a young orchard may be kept al
most entirely free from scale insects by
use of kerosene emulsion, and that with
no very great labor or expense a good
article ard g.eat thoroughness are the
absolute requisites to success. The
steam power pumps used in San Diego
ard Santa Barbara are certainly a
ny-Iy ln,,
oughness.
FJMIGATION IN THE LEAD
The fac. that fumigation is steadily
gaining as the sovereign remedy against
scale insects in Southern California and
the further fact that it is rarely aban-
Soned when once fairly and faithfully
Tried is surely quite conclusive that in
actual practice it takes the Lead. Even
fumgaton is not entirely effective
Wiia tever method is employed some in
6ects escape. A gentleman in Ventura
county said to me the other day, as we
were passing through a very large or
chard of which he was part owner, that
he should think it wise to treat every
tree, though many large blocks of trees
bad very few scale insects on them.
sThen we will kill all ard be rid of the
evil" This is not correct. Enough will
escape to scatter the seed, ano advised
TO only fumigate the trees that needed
Il. and defer the others until they plain
iy showed the evil When once IN an
rciIare. it is found that even with very
borough work it is frequently neces-
lry 10 fumigate as often as once in
tree years And the wide-awake, sue
r,yl ol,ov ictc ln;t tl1o4
hey ind that the better condition of
e orchards, and the finer, more market
lie fruit pays d tremendous profit over
g expense of fumigation.
AS suggested last week, fumigation,
done at the right time, would very
kelly destroy the purple scale. If the
,urple scale has a periodicity, that is, if
he eggs ali hatch at nearly the same
time, as I feared might not be true by
my examination last spring in Chu!a
Vista, but which I thought might be
true by what l saw at Montecito, then
fumigation al the time when the insects
are ali just from the eggs would doubt
less be of signal service. Even the red
scale when very young would succumb tc
the same treatment, but as we remem-
Der the red scale is Of all ages at nearly
all times on the trees, and so whether
we fumigate or spray, the work mus
be repeated at frequent intervals TO
reach all or anywhere nearly all the in
sects.
THE TENTS
For trees not too large the round OF
bell-shaped tent is the best. This is
fastened about foot from the open enc
to circle of small gaspipe. This makes
It easy to handle the tents and TO place
them about and remove them from the
trees. Such tents are all that are re-
uuired in most of our orchards of South