The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-02
Horticulture.
THE SAN JOSE SCALE.


The Progressive Farmer have read
about this insect in various publica-
tiOns. Nearly every experiment
station in the country, including the
Station in our State, has published a
bulletin containing special informa-
tion about this pest. But while these
serve an excellent purpose in their
own State, and furnish new infOrma-
tiOn to workers in other States, we
believe that the readers of The Pro
gressive Farmer would like to have
Il recent account from North Caro-
lima.
The San Jose Scale (Aspidiotu8 per-
nicjOs1S) is a small insect which at
tacks various plants, but especially
fruit trees. While very young it is
unprotected, but as soon as it once
settles down and begins to suck its
food from the plant shell begins to
form over it's body and thereafter
the insect does not move, except that
when adult, the males acquire wings,
with which they may fly for very
short distances. When full grown,
the scale over the body of the insect
is about the size of the head # pin,
and is ashy gray in color. When
twig is badly infested it becomes so
crowded with scales that they may
overlap one another, forming a com
plete crust over the entire surface of
the bark. If such a twig be exam
ined with lens it will be found to
resemble a stick covered with bar
nacles.
It is only few hours after birth
that the insects are capable of mov-
ing about, for they soon insert their
beaks into the tissue Of the plant and
begin to suck the sap. Once the
beak is thus inserted, they cannot
withdraw it, but remain attached at
that same spot. It is while the in
sect is in it's young stage, therefore,
thatit is capable of being transferred
from one place to another. They
are not able to migrate from tree to
tree of their own accord, as they are
so small that one could only crawl
one or two eet before it would be
compelled to insert it's beak and be
gin to take food, which, as before ex-
planned, would preclude any further
crawling. They are dependent on
accidental causes therefore, to insure
the spread of the species. Chief
among these is the wind, for the
young insects are 50 extremely small
and light that moderate breeze will
carry one for considerable distance.
Another means of spread is by crawl
ing on the feet of birds and being
thus carried from tree to tree. For
transportation over great distances,
they must depend on shipments of
trees and plants on which they sub
sist. 1t is this point that makes it
so important that nurseries should
be examined every year so that in
case the scale secures a foothold in
any nursery it may be discovered
and checked before it is sent out to
the Orchardists.
As remedial treatment for an in
tested orchard kerosene emulsion
spraying is what we recommend
There are various other remedies, as
petroleum emulsion, whale oil soap,
and fumigation by gas. The fumi-
cation of nursery trees we believe
and knOU to be a very effective
method of combating many of the
insects that infest nursery stock,
and in this connection we wish to
state that the Commission ContrOll-
ing Crop Pests now requires all fruit
trees to be fumigated before leaving
the nursery. Although all the nur-
series have not yet begun this opera
tion, many of them have begun and
we would by all means advise per
sons desiring to purchase fruit trees
to patronize home nurserymen, and
ascertain whether or not the stock is
fumigated before purchasing.
This pest has been positively
located in orchards at six different
localities in the State, as follows
Wilmington, Southern Pines, Aber-
deem, Gastonia, Durham, and Way
nesville. 1t is reported from two
other localities, but we have not yet
received specimens.
At each of these localities the par |