Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-24
FEAR FOR SHADE TREES.
John p. Woodbury. Makes. Discovery Of
What He Thought Might be San

Jose Scale.
Mr.. John p Woodbury. brought Ia
the T-R Thursday limb from one of
his soft maple trees. which he feared
was afflicted with the cotton scale,
known more specifically in California
as the San Jose scale. which has
wrought such great havoc In the
orange groves in that state. Mr..
Woodbury. knows of instances in Ca.i-
fornia where entire groves were cut
down, in an effort to destroy the pest.
1t was to destroy this evil that lady
bugs were imported from Australia by
the department of agriculture, on The
advice of Secretary OF Agriculture VIII
son, few years ago.
The cottony substance that has n
fected the sample brought 10 the t.
r. by Mr.. Woodbury. consists of a
small bunch of cotton topped by a
small leathery looking scale. attached
at one end of the bark of the twig,
the cotton in which the eggs are i'm
bedded bursting out at the other. The
deposits are almost entirely on the
smaller twigs of the trees they inhabt
---elms hard and soft naples and bog
elders being the trees chosen general
ly for their operations, tho some other
varieties are Inhabited by them to
some extent.
The T.-R. HIS consulted authorities
in an endeavor to ascertain the exact
nature of the scale, and believes that
the pest that has made its appearance
here is the pulvinaria innumerabilis,
or cottony maple-sc known also
as the cotton cushion scale. They are
quite common on maple and other
shade trees In the United States, and
pass to limbs and tp,igs. The eggs
are laid under the cottony coverings,
Matching in the spring or early sum
mer Treatment, according to the best
authority the T.-R- has, is given by
fastening sponge or cloth on the end
of a pole; saturating 1t in Kerosene,
and swabbing the scale from the I'M
der side of the limb.
The T-R. also learns from Boone
that the same appee rance has been
noticed there, and that samples of the
limbs affected have been sent to the
horticultural department of Iowa State
College, where they We're examined by
State Entomologist III. e. Summers
Mr. Summers evidently finds similar
authority as the T.-F.., and replies 10
the Boone people as follows: The
specimen Of the insect on the maple is
known as the cotton cushion scale,
technically, puiyinaria innumerabilis
These sometimes get so abundant as
to do serious injury to the tree. They
may be checked by spraying with
kerosene emulsion or tobacco Infusion
the latter being preferable They do
not usually on shade trees, however,
do sufficient damage TO warrant spray
ing unless one is well fitted for the
operation. Usually after they become
very abundant their natural enemies
begin work upon them and soon thin
out their numbers SO that they do no
further damage. Yours truly,
III. E. SUMMERS,
State Entomologist.
Shade tree owners who may have
felt some uneasiness over the presence
of the cotton covering on their trees,
will be relieved to find that the insect
is not so harmful, perhaps, as at first
suspected If applied in tine, the REM
edy of kerosene or tobacco viii prob
ably overcome the presence OF the IN
sects, or as Mr.. Summers suggests,
bugs and birds may rid the limbs Of
the insects when they become suffi-
GENTLY plentiful to attract attention.