The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-12-20
A Destroyer for the San Jose
Scale.

Commercial Tribune
I"fOrma'ion has juat been received
from the United States Deparrment al
Agriculture, through the Rural New
Yorker, that will he eood news tn all
owners of trees and shrubbery that are
infected with San Jose scale. This
scale. which is an imported pest. has
wrought great destruction 10 certain
localities. no'iceably Avondale and
Walnut Hills. The pest Is fast spread.
ing over the United States. The scale
trst appeared on the premises of James
Lick. at San Jose, CAL, about twenty.
i've years ago. Mr.. Lick. being very
wealthy and enterprising, had unwit
tingly imported the pest on some for.
eign plants. From California the pest
was introduced into the Eastern States
on bundle of trees sent to New Jer.
sey. The spread has been so rapid and
steady that now the entire country is in
dread of very serious injury or the c. M
plete destruction of its trees. Lepisla-
tion has provided for inspection, fumi-
CATION and other means In fighting thi.
terrible and insidious scourge. Resi-
dents Of Avopdale have fresh In theic
minds the efforts, by spraying the trees
with solution of whale oil soap by the
Safes authorities last winter, to de-
strOy the pest The rank fishy smell
fingered long after the sprayers had
departed. Mr.. Marlxtt. one of the
most >kilful ent"m, l,gists of the United
states Department of Agriculture. was
sent to Japan to investigate. He found
rhe scale had been introduced into
Japan from America, and not vice
versa, as had been supposed He then
went to ChefOO, China, and found the
scale in destructive numbers. Hunting
'rtheastward between Tieu Tsin and
Peking, he found 1t In diminished num-
bers. and the reason was that a lady.
bug" called Chilocorus simils, was eat.
log 1t up. He sent trial shipment of
these ''ladybugs' to the department.
for introduction into the infected local
tiles. OGher shipments will follow, and
there is reason to believe the days of
the San Jose scale are numbered Itl
will be remembered that the iutroduc-
tioo OF the Australian ''lady hug"
which is the native parasite of the
'1uted SCALE" that deadly pest, saved |
the orange and lemon culture of Amer
lea from destruction. A ..lady bug" is |
3 beetle belonging to the family
coccinellidae. We have many species
of the fsmily here at Cincinnati. They
are carnivorOus, and each kind feeds
)nly on certain other insects We have
,ne belonging TO the genus chiiocnrus.
which Is called bivulp+ratus, but it does
1Ot feed on the San Jose scale a, all. al.
though 1t destroys quantities of plant
ice. Another of our species, called
9-notsts. feeds on the eggs
md young of potato bugs. If this s.ls-
lybug" succeeds in destroyi ng the San
lose scale it will be anOther feather in
he cap of the Department of AgricnIt-
ire. Only recently it imported the "ig
insect" into California, thereby making
c possible to produce figs of the finest
uality. 1t Is now we'll known that no
nod figs could be grown, because rhe
blossoms were not properly f-rtiliz ID,
nd 1t required the services of small in
ect to accomplish this This insect.
mich was harmless, was imported and
ibrrated among the fig trees. and the
hing was done CHARLES DURY.
Avondsle, December IA, 1901.