The San Francisco call., 1903-12-28


remedy where the scale was native
than our artificial appliances.
Once started in this direction, our or
chardists held meetings, in Los Angeles
especially. and discussed ways and
means to have an expert sent to Aus
tralia to make a search for the parasite
that prevented the great increase Of
that scale in Australia and introduce 1T
into California.
Frank McCoppin of San Francisco
was appointed United States Commits
sioner to the Worlds Fair in Melbourne
in 1883 and generously put aside $4,000 of
the funds allowed him for his expenses
to defray the cost Of an expert ento-
mologist to be attached to his retinue.
Albert KOebele was selected and he dis
covered and sent us the Vedalia cardi-
nails, lady-bird that was hardly
known by the entomologists Of its ma
tive country
Since then the State Board of Horti-
culture has taken the precaution to
keep stock of this valuable lady-bird
under propa cation in confinement in the
San Francisco office. In this way we
can generally furnish colonies promptly
upon application of our orchardists.
Colonies have also been sent to Cape
Colony, South Africa; Egypt, Portugal,
Mexico, Hawaiian Islands, Society ISL
ands and to Florida
When sending colonies Of Vedalia
within the State we request the appIi-
cants to send us a box of scale infested
twigs at our expense. In this way we
food T.,
breeding jars. Besides the Vedalia we
have three Australian lady birds that
prey upon this scale alone. We have
also two internal parasite flies. With
such list of active workers you can
readily understand that the "cottony
cushion scale has a hard struggle for
existence in California.
OTHER VICTORIES WON.
Another foreign pest that has done
serious injury to orange and lemon
groves is the yellow scale" L. ]. Rose
of San Gabriel purchased a small Jap
anese orange tree and planted it on
his Sunny Slope estate. The existence
of scale was overlooked at the time.
The scale spread to other orange trees
in the vicinity, and soon after the ceIe-
brated avenue of four rows of grand
old trees appeared to be hopelessly
ruined.
Mr.. Rose ordered the trees cut back
to the trunks and the latter scrubbed
with soap solution, but even such he
roic measures failed to check the
spread Of the pest, for as soon as the
trees again sprouted the leaves were
found to be again infested. This was
in the early seventies.
The effect of this scale was to cause
the leaves to turn yellow and droop and
thus injure the health and productive
ness of the trees. In 1889 / called the
attention of the orchardists to the ex-
istence of an almost microscopic inter-
nal parasitic fly that was reducing the
numbers of the yellow scale at Sierra
Madra, and advised that no spraying or
fumigation should be done in that
neighborhood. Colonies Of the parasite
were sent to other infected districts
and now the yellow scale is rare in the
seven southern counties. The horticu,-
tural commissioners of Los Angeles.
San Bernardino and even. Riverside al
low the parasite to fight it out and it is
most efficient. This parasite, like the
scale, is native of japan.
A hard fought battle was waged
against the so-called San Jose scale
Although it has a local name, it is
nevertheless of foreign origin, and, ac-
cording to Professor c. L. Marlatt, it is
native of China. The late James
Lick was a great lover of and expert
menter with trees and plants from
other countries, and it is claimed this
scale was first observed in his or
chard. The San Jose scale is not plen-
tiful now in California, owing to an in
ternal parasite, Aphelinus fuscipennis,
assisted by the twice stabbed lady
bird" Chiloccrus bivulnerus and Rhizo-
Johnson records having bred 1873 in
ternal parasite, Aphelinus fuscipennls,
in Maryland from a peach shoot four
inches long, that was seriously infested
with San Jose scale. AS each parasite
destroys the scale it attacks before the
scale reproduces, it cannot long remain
in injurious numbers.
The brown apricot scale was a very
filthy pest on prune. apricot, peach and
plum trees. owing to the great amount
of honey dew exuded by the insects.
The leaves and fruit were consequently
badly attacked by black smut. Since
it's parasite became established in in
tested orchards it is not so troublesome
1t takes two years 10 thoroughly stock
an orchard when 90 to 9S per cent Of
the scales are killed by it's parasite
There is but one generation of this
scale and it's parasite, so its work Is