The leader., 1905-06-24
FIGHTING INSECTS.
CONTROL OF FPEsTsTHoRoUaHLx
MANAGED IN CALIFORNIA.
Principal Weapons Employed by the
Fruit-G Growers in Battle with
'sScale'' Enemies Of
Trees

x1lnclpa1 weapons Employeu by the
Fruit Growers in Battle with
"Scaleo Enemies of
Trees.
With devouring insects feeding upon
every kind Of plant that man endeav-
ors to cultivate, fierce are the wars
that he, in turn, wages against the
ravages- wars ranging from the efforts
Of the small gardener with one cher
ished rose bush to the unanimous ris-
ing Of state, even of a country,
against vast hordes Of insect enemies.
says Pearson's Magazine.
Nature, it is true, provides a nat
ural foe to each insect plant-destroyer
the trouble is to bring the two into
conflict. Where it Is impossible thus
to fight with natures own weapons.
others must be designed poisonous
washes, suffocating gases with which
to mete out death to the despoilers.
As is natural, it is in places where
the conditions are most favorable for
the growth of plant that the natural
enemies of that plant flourish best.
Nowhere is the control of insect
pests more thoroughly managed than
in California. Here the most. deter
mined war is waged. Its state board
OF horticulture is its war ONCE: it di-
rects the attacks, provides the sinews
Of war. Every county in the state has,
or may have on petition of the fruit
growers, special horticultural commits
sioners, who are placed in charge of
all matters relating to injurious in
sects. Beneath the commissioners is
staff of local inspectors, three or
four in small districts, 20 or 80 in
large. These officials organize tree
to-tree inspection of all fruit ranches;
they are given power to enter all
premises, and to enforce action on the
part of the owners where danger is
discovered.
The chief of all the pests are the va
rious scale" insects. Only the PA-
loxera that attack grapes approach the
amount of damage that scales are cap
able of doing. Great sums of money
are spent every year in fighting them,
and so perfect is the system of in
spection and destruction that the work
is now almost entirely preventive.
The two great weapons employed in
fighting scales are fumigation and
spraying. Tree after tree is visited
at night. by inspectors. and each is
either vigorously sprayed with poi
sonous washes or covered with tent,
which is filled with the fumes of a
deadly gas. If any ranch owner should
object, or refuse to assist, prompt
measures are taken to bring him to
his senses. One tree allowed to har-
Dor the insects menaces the whole
state.
All injurious insects can be con-
trolled by the introduction of their ma
ural enemies. Natures own weapons
for destroying pest always prove the
most eff1eacious. The importation of
the Australian ladybird to California
resulted in the total eradication of the
white scale, and in some instances this
ladybird has cleared districts of the
black scale also. When it was dis.
covered that the white scale was the
ladybird's natural prey, California at
once sent an expert to Australia to
gather specimens. Thousands and
thousands were brought over, and set
at liberty among the trees. They are
still abundant, and are the best friends
of the fruit-grower.
Extraordinary precautions are taken
to prevent the Introduction of insect
pests into California A rigid system
of quarantine has long been in force;
no live fruit, plants, or trees of any
kind may be brought into the state
until they have passed through the
hands of inspecting officers. Fruits or
plants that are found to be infested
with dangerous insects are either
fumigated and made wholesome, or
destroyed. Fruit sent from neighbor-
ing states is as carefully examined as
fruit that come from over sea, and
enormous quantities are stopped on
the frontiers
A fierce war is waged against insects
1 in all our states in which fruit is cul-
stivated. Thus, in Georgia, pest
called the San Jose scale is thoroughly
controlled by a treatment with kero-
sene, and the maple-tree horer is held in
allegiance by cutting-out method. But
there is one pest in Georgia that defies
everything save vigorous shaking of
the tree on which it is lodged, and
then hand destruction. This is the
curculio, which is particularly inju-
rious to peach and plum trees.
One great fruit growing company
was forced to set gangs of men at
work to shake every one of its 100000
peach trees and its $4,000 plum trees
in April and June Of one year to dis
lodge the injurious insects. Canvas
sheets stretched on frames were held
below the boughs of each tree in turn;
a vigorous shaking caused the insects
to release their hold on the leaves
and then were destroyed as they were
caught. With IL pairs of sheets in
use, 10000 trees could be treated III
/ this way in the course of q day. In
all, some 10000 curculios were caught
and killed in the two months. and an
amount of damage beyond calculation
was prevented.
Il