Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-15

20 900 carloads were shipped east last
wear. OF this great total the other
portions of the state contributed very
trifling, almost negligible, proportion.
The railway officials estimate that this
wear the crop will run from $4,000 to
10000 carloads.
There are thousands of people in Los
Angeles that do not know that twenty
years ago this mighty interest was
threatened with total annihilation, and
that it was preserved by the intelligent
efforts of a few men, at the head OF
whom was the late ]. de Barth Shorb,
together with the cooperation of the
government of the United States.
This disaster was so nearly brought
about by the cottOny cushion scale,
which had been introduced into Los
Angeles by the nurseryman, Thomas
A. Carey, who had imported some
acacia stock from Australia which was
infected by the pest. Singularly enough
the vadalia cardinals, or LADY bug
as II was called in English, was brought
from Australia to anticipate this pest,
whose Latin name was isera purchasil.
In a late issue of Harper's Magazine
there is an interesting article on this
tonic which is full of errors, and L
therefore propose to give the facts 10
the readers of The Herald.
The cottony cushion scale introduced
on the Australian acacia stock soon
snread from Mr. Garey's place on san
Pedro street to the Wolfskill orcharo
ON which the Arcade depot now stanus'
and. with incredible rapid1ty, It's depre-
dations were reported from every poor-
tton of Los Angeles, which theh III
cluded Orange county.
TwofoId Effects
It's effects were twofold. 1t first
r,revented the tree from bearing ana
r. unmolested for three years, it killed
the tree outright.
There was CONSERVATION everywhere.
Such splendid groves as Sunny slope
and San Marino, in the San Gabriel
were soon in the same plight as the
Wolfskill grove in the city or Los An
geles. Mr.. Craw, a gentleman to whom
fhe tree life of Southern California
owes much, tried to secure some ILL
sect which would fight the cottony
cushion scale, but his efforts were un-
availing. The members of the county
horticultural society, consisting of Col.
Dobyns, president; George Rice, secre-
tary, and Sam Mckinley, were indetat-
isable in their efforts to provide
remedy. but were also at a loss no"
to meet the peril.
ir1ize the evil undoubtedly with the
view of not creating alarm among
those who were beginning to crowd
into city and county in great numbers
it was in the year leading up to the
great boom of 1SS6-S7-but one day the
Messrs. Dobyns and Rice came into
The Herald office with a great cake OF
the Cottony cushion scale and It's
larvae, and this journal changed its
course instanter and urged the people
to energy in the great crusade.
Fortunately, about this time young
gentleman from Australia happened to
drop into Los Angeles, and hearing
everybody talking about the ravages
which were being made by the cottony
cushion scale said that they had bug
over there which made havoc of this
scale. His remarks attracted the at
tention of Mr.. Shorb. 1t was at this
time that Australia was holding her
great exposition at Melbourne. The
government of the United States had
appropriated 100000 for representation
at this antipodal function, and Presi-
dent Cleveland had appointed Hon.
Frank McCoppin, eX-mayor of San
Francisco, president of the commission,
and McCoppin, in turn, had appointed
our present townsman, Capt. Tom B.
Merry, its secretary.
Shorb's Plan
1t at once occurred to ShOrb that, !
as he and McCoppin were such chums.
he could make this commission of
great service in the search for an Aus
tralian insect 10 fight the cOttony
cushion nuisance. McCOppin proved
very accommodating, but pointed out
the fact that there was no appropria-
ton for such a purpose, and an appli
cation was made to President Cleve-
land for an additional allowance.
That official replied that he could not
increase the appropriation, but would
lend them an entOmologist.
Finally it was agreed between Shorb
and McCoppin that of the commits
sions 100000, $4,000 should be appro-
priated for that object, and Mr. Cleve-
land performed his part by sending
on Mr.. KOebelc, an entOmologist in tie
employ of the department of agricul-
ture at Washington. 1T was this gen.
tleman who sent TO Los Angeles the
lady bug"-the Vedalia CARDINALS
which worked such wonders in saving
the citrus orchards in Southern Cali
fornia.
The colony of "Iady bugs" which ar
rived consisted Of only some fifty or
sixty specimens. At all events the
number was very small They were
DIVIDED INTO three-bdndS seems almost
too large a word for such small things
One was entrusted to Mr.. Craw for
propagation in the Wolfskiu orchard.
and the other two were handed to the
Messrs. Dobyns and Rice to be used
in the San Gabriel valley.
The bugs multiplied themselves with
incredible rapidity, and they simply
annihilated the cottOny cushion scale,
leaving neither hide nor hair of the
horticultural beast, so to speak.
throughout the length and breadth OF
the land.
1t would be hard to estimate what
the people and the railways owe to the
vedalia cardinals. Taking the last
twenty years together, it would not be
an eXaggeration to put the sums at
thirty and forty millions respectively. to
say nothing of the untold millions with
which the account render of the fu-
ture is fraught. The whole incident
is particularly encouraging from the
picture it gives of what aid we may
look for from science in the coming
years.
Its Passing
For years the cottony cushion scale
disappeared and with it the lady