The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-15


esting case was the waxy scale. whicl
in spite of two parasites covered man.
ornamental and forest trees, to thei
great Disagreement. A third parasit
brought from China rapidly caused tn
scale to become a rare insect. TIL
combined attack of internal parasites
and certain lady-birds on several spe
cies of "wtite-fiy' has been marvellous
The coffee Pulvinaria scale which s,
seriously injured the coffee trees as Il
make the outlook for the coffee grower
in that district (Kona) gloomy indeed
vanished like magic" Commissioners:
/ Report) so later on did the "red-spider'
of the coffee. Much information OF
this kind could easily have been OBJ
tanned by Mr.. Jared Smith, had he
wished to consult published reports
but he chooses to repeat the old tale
about the cottony -cushion scale being
the sole success attained. Outside en-
tomologists might be pardoned for moi
knowing the details of Mr.. Koebele's
successes, there is no such excuse fol
Mr.. Jared Smith.
To conclude the discussion of Mr..
Jared Smiths authorities who I am
told are against me, are the great au-
thorities really so?
Let me quote from a letter written
by DR.. D. Sharp of Cambridge in an
swer to one of mine stating the ex-
traordinary numbers of insects, para
sites and predaceous, some native and
some imported, that were alone keep
ing in check insects that would other
wise devastate the sugar industry here.
Your account of the trip round Ha-
wall is very interesting. I have given
much attention to economic entomology
during the last twenty years and of
late specially. am convinced that the
internal parasites are the things that
keep the balance of nature in the in
sect world. The predators are of value
but it is the internal parasites that
are the great agents. They are not
seen and consequently we totally UNI
der value them, but I believe all in.
sects may be kept down by the aid
of we'll selected internal parasites But
you should have variety Of parasites
for each species. $500. Berlese, the
head of the Royal Agriculture School,
Naples, has come to the same concIu-
sions as I have. so has Portschinsky.
the Russian economic entomologist.''
Getter of Aug. II, 1909.
Above all 1 must include with these
our own Superintendent of Entomology
Mr. Albert Koebele, whose opinion on
the economic question is certainly
worth more than all the others, for no
living entomologist has had half his
opportunities of gaining sure evidence,
none has ever accomplished one 1.-THE
of his success. Singularly gifted by
nature for the work he has so well
carried out, he has had unrivalied
chances during the last twenty-five
years of ascertaining the value of the
beneficial creatures, the use of which
he advocates, as being far preferable |
to poisons and washes. Tropical re-
gions. of America as well as the Unit |
ed States, Florida, California, Arizona, |
Mexico. Brazil and many other parts /
have been the scenes of his iuvestiga-
tions: the islands of the Pacific, New /
Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and I
Ceylon, have all been hunted over with
one sole purpose-tllat of studying and
obtaining beneficial species to combat
insect pests. 1t would need the evil
1ence of very strong authorities in
iced TO outweigh Mr.. Koebele's opinion
1n these matters. Are my views so
radical when they are shared by such
men?
1t is interesting to notice how Mr.
Aoebele's methods are followed in his
,wn home county of Alameda. Califor-
Tia, as testified by the report of the
Commissioners in their report to the
of that county in 1908.
Gentlemen: In this, my annual re-
'ort, l will endeavor to give an esti-
nate of the horticultural interests and I
he extent of the fruit industry in this
art of the Alameda County.
THE new internal parasite of the ]
lack scale (Scutellista cyanea), late '
y imported by the State Board of Hor- I
iculture from South Africa, bids fair {
0 be one of the most valuable insects I
Introduced into California. Last April ]
received from Mr.. Craw, State qua I
antine officer, about 80 of these in
ects and placed them in the oraneei
rove and olives OF H. A. Mayhem of
Tiles, and on the 18th of September t
cut enough twigs to fill four two I
uart jars, from which Matched out 149 h
arasites. These placed in different c
'calities in Washington township, and c
t Sunol in Murray township. hope b
ley will give enough increase to COM o
fence placing them in deciduous or
1ards the coming year. "
There has not been any spraying IL
one in this district since 1893, and it Il
a singular fact that no estimate in S