The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-05-19
FIGHTING PLANT ENEMIES.
A REVOLUTION IN METHODS 81
INSECT PEST TREATMENT
Remarkable and Effective Work Car
ried on by the California Commits
sion-Saving Millions Of Dollars to
the Fruit Industry.

s'on-oaVin9 Millions OF Dollars 10
the Fruit Industry.
A few months ago saw in an Of
flee in the city of San Francisco lit
tie orange tree about 10 set ont upon
what | presume was the most remark
able journey an orange tree ever
made. II was growing in a wooden
than four feet in height Il was TO
| be ilclosed in strong redwood case,
with openings to allow it breathing
! space.
| The little tree was bound for a far
! interior point in China. II would
| probably spend three months on It's
| journey. would stay some time in
| China, far from tie beaten paths OF
! the tourists, and then would oes,n
its homeward journey to San Fran
! cisco Cautiously enough. the tree was
starting out for China to be cured Of
| a disease. 1t, in common with a num-
Der of other California orange trees,
had broken out with a most wrotched
affection which was rapidly destroy
| ing its g!ossy green leaves and UNIT
ting il for service The disease took
thu form of a tiny insect OF scale
growth called Depiicsapnes BeckIl,
very small in its individuals. but
many in the aggregate and very dan
gerous In fact. if the disease should
not be checked. it would be likely to
do irreparable damage 10 great fruit
industry.
In China the tree would meet man
who has made a lifelong study OF
plant diseases and injurious insects.
He spends his time travelling over the
world searching for the foes Of these
perncious insects He knows that
there is foe for nearly every one.
and it is his business to find that foe.
One month he may be in West Aus
tralia-which country helps to pay
his expenses-another month may
see him in Japan, or in India. or
Spain, or Siberia. 1t is well-knoWn
fact that while almost every insect
pest has its enemies. TIE enemies
and the pest are evenly matched
where the conditions are normal. and
no harm is done When the balance
is not maintained. the pest gets the
upper hand Then comes the need
of the searcher of pest foes. It is ex-
ceedinsly difficult sometimes to ma
the region of the world where the roe
exists. It was learned in a round
about way. for example. that IN an IN
terror Chinese province this pest Oh
the California orange tree lived side
by side with tiny insect that was an
enemy to it. The pest and the de-
stroying insect developed IN aoout
equal numbers, so that the balance
was preserved and the pest did no
harm. The object in sending the Ut
tie orange tree on its long journey
was to take it into the locality where
the pest and the insect both live, al
low the destroying insect to lay us
eggs upon the leaves OF the tree, as
it always does when it finds place
where it's prey is living, send the
tree home again with the eggs OF
the foe upon it, hatch them out IN
San Francisco, and then send the
spireful little insect out into the In
fected orange regions to destroy the
pest that threatens the orange In
dustry.
This is an illustration of the tunc-
lions of a remarkable enterprise. now
being carried on under the supervl-
sion of the California Commissioner
of Horticulture The way has now
been opened for a revolution in the
methods of insect pest treatment. The
commission, Which is State board,
has been quietly at work upon the
problem for ten years. 1t has de-
monstrated by actual tests that the
only permanently successful way OF
combating pests in plants. whether
fruit trees, vegetables, or grains, IS
either to stamp out the disease alto
gether, usually practical lmpossl-
bility, or to introduce into the region
where the pest exists its natural foe.
The balance Of nature is absolute.
The moment an insect pest gets in
the ascendancy and begins to be a
destroyer, this balance is disturbed.
and at that moment. if possible, the
foe should be at hand. 1t is sure to
exist Observation-Disclosures provision
against overprCduction. When unre-
stricted production goes on in plant
or animal life, no one can predict |
the result.
So the work Of this commission Is
not a fad, but a practical and i'm
mensely valuable enterprise, already
resulting in the saving of millions OF |
dollars to the fruit industry Of Cali
fornia. The saving, when the expert |