The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-06
The San lose Scale.

damage DONE The last number of the
Agricultural Student contained an artl-
Gle describing the scale very carefully
and telling how to recognize it when
there are only a few on the trees.
Although the San Jose scale has been
in Ohio for over ten years now, there
are comparatively few people outside Of
the regular entomologists who can rec
ognize it before it has become so num-
erous on a tree or shrub as to make
its destruction necessary. Even among
nurserymen, who would be supposed
to be familiar with it, there is a sur-
prising lack Of knowledge as to the
scale, and not one in ten can recognize
it. In order to effectively control the
scale, the infected tree must be treated
before the scale has become so numer-
Gus as to completely cover the tree If
left until this stage has been reached
the ak and hot fire are the only RENE
dies. With this fact in mind the writer
OF this article intends to give a few
hints as to how to search for it, so that
the Orchardlst or owner Of few trees
can detect it in time to apply a remedy
and save his fruit trees.
The first essential is to provide
hand lens or magnifying glass of some
kind. One can be purchased for
dollar which will answer the purpose
very we'll. It is we'll for the inexperi-
enced man not to get glass that mag
nihes too highly as this will mean
close focus making the glass difficult to
use.
Choose bright day along in August
or the first part of September as the
scale is easiest to find at this time
They are in all stages of maturity and
the different stages show characteristics
which makes it easy to distinguish the
scale.
Choose the peach trees first if you
have any San Jose scale almost in
variab1y will appear first on old peach
trees. They are especially subject to it's
attacks and they apparently thrive
better on the peach and reproduce more
rapidly than on any other variety of
fruit trees The peach is also very
susceptible to it's attacks and ah4sr "
becomes infested will live but a few
years. Look for the young scale first
on the peach as the old scale are hard
to see, being SO nearly the color Of
the bark. The young will appear as
very minute yellow points, almost too
small to be seen with the naked eve.
Focus vour glass upon them and they
can be plainly distinguished as almost
circular in shape and Of bright yellow
color. Some Of them which have lust
been born, will be seen to be slowly
crawling around, hunting a place to
settle. Thew move around but for
very brief time, but during this time
all the spread of the insect Is accom-
pl1shed. They are so small that the
wind will blow them around like dust;
birds and insects will carry them on
their bodies or legs, and in fact thew
can most easily be scattered.
AS said above, the insect crawls
around for a few hours and finding a
place to settle it pushes it's sucking
tubes through the bark, commences to
secrete scale and loses its legs and
consequently all power of 1ocomotfon.
After noticing the newly born Young.
look around next for those that nave
recently settled. The young scale is at
first almost white. gradually assuming
darker ashy color AS it approaches
maturity. The scale is nearly circular
IN outline, about the size of pinneao
when trll grown and in the center of
the scale is yellowish SPOT surround
ed by ring or depression. This can
be easily seen with the aid of the
glass and it is a sure indication that
the scale is the injurious San lose.
ne yelloW1sh color of the niDD1e is not