The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-07

| the home Office of this celebrated scale
| 1t exists there and is not a pest, and
! the story of the discovery of the pest
and its parasite on a small orange tree
| in a garden, the purchase of the entire
| outfit for ST. and the shipment of the
| tree with the live stock on it, was all
| widely published at the time of the oc-
currence. The owner of the orchard in
which this parasite-as yet unnamed
| was placed destroyed the trees and
| the parasite with them, but from such
of it's work as has been seen no doubt
is felt as to its ultimate success. The
San Jose scale is no longer a serious
pest in this State and is being grad
ually exterminated by parasites some
of which are native species, which have
acquired a taste for this kind of scale
meat. Soon after this trip to China
Mr.. Compere was engaged by the Colo
ny of West Australia, in whose service
he now is, this entire industry. in fact,
being directed by Californians.
RESULTS THUS FAR ACCOM-
PLISHED.
The scales actually got rid of to date
not exterminated. they are never ex-
terrninated-but which have ceased to
be the cause of serious injury or ex-
pense, are, so far as known to the
writer:
In California
The cottony cushion scale.
The black scale (not gone, but going
fasD.
The brown apricot scale.
The San Jose scale.
The soft brown scale.
The yellow scale.
In Hawaii
The red wax scale-an omnivorous
feeder.
Certain .-mealy bugs" on coffee
plants.
Lantana, destructive plant. the
parasite destroying the seeds.
The cabbage butterfly.
In West Australia
A cabbage moth.
The soft brown scale.
Mealy bugs.
grape scale-not known here.
Black scale.
Tt is useless in an article like this to
give the names of the different para
sites. They are all very hard names
and are better skipped. Some of the
names are not yet known. Messrs.
Koebele and Compere, who thus far
have nearly a monopoly of the practice
of this art, are not college entomoio-
gists. They do know very intimately
the pests for which they seek remedies
and can see through a microscope
When they find something eating the
pest they do not wait to be introduced,
but seize upon him and send him home.
If he is not recognized here, speci-
men is sent to the entomologists at
Washington. to be identified and label
led, which can be done there with neat
ness and despatch. The entomologists
know bugs when they see them, even
if they do not always know how to
make the best use of them.
GREAT PECUNIARY GAIN.
The pecuniary value of the work &C.
compIished here and elsewhere to date
by the labors of Messrs. Cooper, Craw.
koebele. Compere and Ehrhorn, cam
not even be guessed at. It is quite
within bounds to say that $5,0O0.OOO
would not pay the fruit-growers for
being set back where they were and
compelled to fight these pests with
sprays, and. in addition to the spray
ing and fumigation which they still
have to do for pests for which no para
sites have been found and the accom-
plishment is due solely to the the abid-
ing faith of Mr.. Craw and Mr.. Cooper
in the effectiveness of the processes of
Nature and the bulldog tenacity with
which Mr. Cooper has employed his
official position TO prosecute the work,
regardless of difficulties or the lack of
faith and interest in scientific circles:
and. with the exception of Mr.. Cooper,
ali those who have done this work
were poor men when they began and
are poor men still.
THE STORY OF ONE HUNT.
Some idea of the difficulties involved
in this work may be got from some
experience of Mr.. .Compere in the quest
in which he is now engaged. In West
Australia they have a destructive fruit
fly which infests a large variety Of
fruits. The fruit flies are the worst
pests there are. BY sheer luck for
long time. and by most vigorous quar-
antine in recent years, California is free
from them. The fruit flies deposit their
eggs in the fruit leaving no visible
sign. and the eggs hatch into maggots,
which fill the pulp of the fruit. They
cannot be reached by sprays or furniga-
ton 1t is parasites or nothing. In
West Australia they heard that the
same fly was found in Spain. SO Mr..
Compere went to Spain, hardly expect
ing to find a parasite. but grasping at
a straw. AS he expected, he found sec
lions where fruit culture had been CIV