The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-19
THE SAN JOSE SCALE.
h 1t L., and What Destruction 1t Can
.Cause-How to Get Rid of 1t.

"~N y ~ =
.Cause-How to Get Rid of 1t.
Raleigh, n. c., March Is.
The experiment station regrets to an
nounce that the dreaded San Jose scale
has reached North Carolina Bulletin
No. 13S describes the character of this
destructive pest, the damage which it
has done to the fruit industry in 9TH
er states, and what it is likely to do in
North Carolina unless it is stamped out
at once. 1t is stated in the bulletin that
from a single pair, 5000. 600, 900 insects
may result in a single season. Although
these scale insects do not move from
n place to another Of their own ac-
cord, yet they are blown by wind or
else carried on the feet of birds to 9TH
er orchards not infested. Such is the
rapidity of increase that these or
chards will soon be covered and the
trees will be destroyed in a very short
while, besides being a Standing men,
ace to other localities. The Horticul-
tural Society, aided by the experiment
station, prepared a bill which was en-
acted by the legislature, the purpose
of which is to prevent the introduction
and spread of such insects. There are
other insects and fungous pests as bad
as the San Jose scale. Some of these
pests are-the cotton boil weevil, now
proceeding nOrthward from Mexico and
Texas; the Gypsy moth Cto destroy
which the state of Massachusetts has
! already spent $3.50. 000); the tobacco
leaf miner, a recently discovered in
sect Of most destructive tendency, and
the peach yellows, which has practi-
cally ruined the peach orchards of
| many states.
LIFE HISTORY.
The San Jose scale, as has been said,
is a member Of the Order Hemiptera or
bugs. 1t differs from most other genera
of this order in that the males undergo
a complete metamorphOSiS, and when
mature have only one pair OF wings.
The male and female insects pass the
winter beneath their waxy scales as
young. About the time the peach buds
begin to swell, the young awake and
resume their growth, which is soon
completed. The male then energies and
/ fertilizes the female, which soon begins
to give birth to living young instead Of
eggs. The young continue to be born
for about six weeks at the ate Of
about two dozen per day, according to
, the observations of Mr.. Theo. Pergande
of the chronological division of the
United States department Of agricul-
ture. The young scale bugs have legs
and ~feelers, and are very active for a
few hours. They then affix themselves,
insert their beaks into the plant and
begin to suck the sap. After three or
four days, they will have covered them
selves with a Waxy scale like the par
ent. After about twelve days they mott
their skin, legs and I~eelers, and the
females lose their eyes. After several
more molts, extending owe about
twenty-five days, the males become
mature and quit their seal S. Tt re-
quires nearly forty days for the full
growth of the female scale bug. Mr..
Pergande found four successive broods
| at Washington, D.. G. In North Caro-
lima and southwark, there may be from
five to seven broOds. The f~ecundity of
this insect is p~rodigious. Starting with
a single fortified female in spring, If
! all the increase live, we may LAY at
the end of the fourth brood more thar
5000, OOO, 900 insects. Being so very
small while young, and soon covered by
a hard. waxy scale, it is probable that
most of the scale bugs born do live
Then left to themselves and nature.
REMEDIES.
In California where this insect first
became a dangerous orchard pest, the
favOrite remedies are fumigating with
/ hydrocyanlc acid gas, and spraying
during he winter season with a COM
bination of sulphur, salt, and lime, or
a solution of soda, rOsin and fish oil.
| The gas treatment is effective but dan
| gerous, difficult and expensive as re-
CARDS trees in orchard. 1t cannot be
thoroughly and satisfactorily carried
out in a large way by any one except
! a professional, with some ability as an
engineer. Most of the California washes
| have all been tested by the United
States department Of agriculture at
Washington, D. c., but nothing save a
strong solution Of whale oil soap has
| been found fully satisfactory under all
circumstances.
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS.
i In North Carolina, we have conduct
| ed the following experiments, Novem-
Der %, 1896, in an orchard containing
pear, peach, plumb, apple and cherry
trees, all badly infested. All the trees
in this orchard were first cut back to
the main branches and all small twigs
removed. On the average one-half the
wood Of ten year old peach trees was
cut ava and burned
Experiment No. Lone row of ten
trees was sprayed with hot solution of
whale oil soap made as in formula No.
/, at rate of two pounds of Oap to one
| gallon Of water. Result: Destruction of
about 95 to SO per cent. of the scales.
| The treatment seemed very effective.
In three hours after app wing, the pre-
viOuSly hard scales were seen bleached
out, transparent and ~lifeleSS. But after
an interval of about three weeks a
very thorough search showed that
| when the scales had been masses thick
ly the solution had in some cases fail
ed to penetrate and kill every scale. On
the average as nearly as we could
judge without actually counting he
scales, a task practically impossible in
an orchard, there were left alive from
2 to 5 per cent. of the scales. A second
treatment, which will be given in the
spring, is calculated to completely de-
| stroy the insects which escaped the
first application.
Experiment No. Zone row of elev-
en- trees. same varieties as No. l., were
! scrubbed with a common hand scrub
bling brush, using the same solution as
in No. 1. Result: Only from 20 to so
per cent. (~estimated) of the scales were
destroyed after the same interval as
before. We expected better result
from s%crubbing thar from spraying, as
it was thought that the stiff bristles of
the brush wou break up the massed
= cooJnc orI al1nu- hn solution tn Mono