The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-20
USE FOR LADYBUGS
Englishman on His Way to califor-
MIA to Get Millions for
Expectation.
IN Them Lies Only Hope Of Saving
Rose Trees Of Southern
England.

Eugene A. Robb, a traveller from east
to west, who registered at the West
hotel Saturday night, is en- route to Cali
.fornia on a queer mission. Mr.. Robb is
going to California for the express pur-
pose of buying and shipping to England
several million ladybugs or at least as
many as he can get. His immediate OBJ
jective Is Salinas, Cal. where he has hope.
of filling the whole order, because one of
the biggest fruit growers there has offered
to furnish Robb all the ladybugs he can
carry away for the trouble Of capturing
them 5s3. gjz q
'.As you may be aware said Mr.. Robb
last night, the rose growing industry is.
a very important one in England. Eng
lish roses are in tremendous demand at
home as we'll as on the continent, and
when anything happens to the crop that
prevents its maturing properly, the price
of English roses goes kiting.
| For the last year or two English rose
gardens have been infested with special
ly destructive insect that goes after the
buds and destroys them before they open.
Every conceivable thing has been tried
! to kill these Insects off, but they continue
| to multiply at a rate that threatens to kill
every rose tree in the south of England.
"Of the many devices tried to keep
these bugs down, ladybugs have been the
only successful one. Last year Paget
Norbury, Of Sherridge, Malvern Link,
Worcestershire, imported from Salinas an
i immense numbers Of ladybugs. These he
/ turned loose in his rose grounds, with the
result that in his particular case the de-
/ structive insects were done away with.
Mr.. Norbury is one of the heaviest rose
! growers in England, and his reports on
1 the efficacy Of the ladybug have melted
al lother rose growers to seek the globe
/ over for the insects. Great numbers are
now being imported from India, but those
which appear to be best able to do the
! work with neatness and celerity, are the
! California variety g,-.2. ~
THE Iadybugs are shipped in long,
shallow boxes with perforated covers.
i They stand the sea voyage remarkably
well, and do not appear to notice the
change of climate at all when turned loose
on the other side. OF course, we have Il
native ladybug, but she is not sufficiently
numerous to be effective. We hope, by
i effecting cross of the native ladybug
and the imported variety, to secure 4
breed that will wipe out all enemies of the
rose trees. r - m -7. .-.> =:
1.-THE first lot of these California in
sects that we imported got us into peck
of trouble. The authorities pounced down
on us and seized the whole lot, there be.
ing law against the Introduction of for
eign insects or creatures of any descrip-
ton which may conceivably become {
luclldCc " AollSlolI d6l VI SotuCiA
ing. Before we could get our consign
ment of ladybugs released, a doze:
learned scientists had to examine and
pronounce upon their chara
They were declared harmless and we were
:, at last permitted to take possession of tn:
boxes, but not until a good many Of the
insects had become SO debilitated through
long confinement as to- be of little u.s.
when released" =. -, VI. =. -. + s.. r. p.
Mr.. Robb left for California yesterday
He is accompanied by his son, Eugene n
Robb, nidshipman in the English navy
, | who is on leave of absence. ~ ..-