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

|
covered that it was not pest in Aus
| tralia, and wondered why. BY cores
pondence, he satisfied himself that it
was kept down by a parasite, and he
wished he had some. He brought the
matter to the attention of Elwood
| Cooper. then president of the State
Board of Horticulture, and induced that
| official to send, if possible, for the IN
| sect.
OFFICIAL INDIFFERENCE.
| 1t is virtually an unknown occurrence
| for any bureau official in this or any
other country to take the least inter-
est in any proposition which does not
originate in his bureau. But Mr.. Coop
er and Mr.. Craw were determined to
have the parasite, but they knew that
they could no more get the money
from the California Legislature than
from DR.. c. V. Riley, then Chief En-
tomologist of the Department of Agri-
culture. 1t happened that there was
an international exposition in Austria
liza, in which this country was partici-
pating, in d small way, and to which
the late Frank McCoppin of this State
was commissioner. In conversation
with some of our Southern fruitgrow-
ers Mr.. McCoppin expressed his desire
to be useful to our fruit interests in any
way possible while in Australia, where
upon he was promptly requested to
send US the parasite OF the cottony
cushion scale. To this Mr. McCoppin
replied that he knew very little about
horticulture. and nothing about bugs,
and feared the job was beyond him.
Then it was suggested that he take
h ff1sa
purpose. Mr.. McCoppin could hardly
see his way, but finally concluded that
he could find money to pay the ex-
penses il the department could pay the
salary. There was then in the employ
of the department, as a collector or
specimens, Albert Koebele, then and
now, a citizen of Alameda county. Nh.
Koebele was not Scientist but had
acquired a practical knowledge of in
sects in field work. Mr.. Cooper tele-
graphed DR.. Riley, stating Mr.. McCop-
pins offer and asking him to let Mr..
Koebele go. DR.. Riley refused-had no
money for the purpose. Then Mr..
Cooper went over DR.. Riley's head, and
telegraphed the whole situation to Sec
rotary of Agriculture, jeremiah Rusk.
Happily, Secretary Rusk was not a scr
enlist of any kind, unless it was pol-
teal science, and he promptly ordered
Dr. Riley to send man with Mr.. Nc
Coppin, and Mr.. Koebele went. He
found, as was expected, the scale in
Australia, but in very small numbers
and doing no appreciable damage. AS
soon as he found the scale he found
the parasite upon 1.-THE Vedalia car
dinalis-which was at once sent to this
state and placed in the Wolfskill or
chard. AS soon as it could be bred in
sufficient numbers, colonies were turn
ed loose in the infested groves, and
proved successful from the first day.
Within two or three years the cottony
cushion scale was virtually exterminat-
ed, and is not now even thought of
as a pest. In fact. it is with difficulty
that the Commissioner of Horticulture
can find enough to keep a colony of
the vedalia alive for use when the scale
gets a fresh start in some locality.
The marvellous success of the vedalia
was, of course. claimed by the Depart
ment of Agriculture as one of it's gifts
to the country, but the department en-
tomologists showed no disposition to
follow the lead up. Mr.. Koebele. how
ever, was employed by our own State
Board of Horticulture to seek parasites
with little effort all our fruit pests
could be got rid of as promptly as the
cottony cushion scale. Experience has
shown, however. that this. as well as
other arts takes time. Many parasites
have been sent into the State, some
of which have failed to establish them
selves; some like the Rhizobius ven
trails, a parasite of the widespread
and very destructive black scale, have
succeeded in some parts. of the State
and failed in others, presumably ow
ing to unfavorable climatic conditions.
A number of valuable parasites have
been introduced by accident, as the
pests We're introduced. Among these
is the Conys fusca, parasite of the
brown apricot scale, which Commits
sioner E. NJ. Ehrhorn found in Santa
Clara county, and which is exterminat-
ing a once very serious pest injecting
many varieties of fruit. Mr.. Ehrhorn
also obtained from South Africa the
Scutellista cyanea, which is evidently
to make good the deficiencies of the
rhizobius in destroying the black scale.
Mr.. Ehrhorn's attention was directed
to South Africa from a passage in a
~eport of the entomologist of Cape
Colony, which showed that the black
scale was there, but not a pest, being
kept in check by a parasite. With
great difficulty few specimens of the
parasite We're obtained by Mr.. Ehr-
horn and bred by Mr.. Craw, and it is
proving completely successful, breed
ing, as it does, so rapidly that the
scale has no chance whatever.
PROSECUTION OF THE WORK.
Mr.. Koebele remained in the employ
of the board until the Government of
Hawaii offered him a larger salary than
we could afford, and he has been in
that employ ever since. After losing
Mr.. Koebele the State Board employed
George Compere, who. although entire
~ self-educated. had developed consid-
cradle ability as a horticultural in
spector in Los Angeles county. Mr.
Compere's most important service
while in our employ was finding a para
site Of the red scale. Mr.. Compere
found this parasite in China, which is