The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-04-28
THE WHITE FLY
DESTRUCTIVE TO ORANGE AND
LEMON TREES.
UPSETTING NATURES LAW
Insect Foes-The Rapid Multiplication
if Insects Not Formerly Present III
Dangerous Numbers-The Value of
Poison in Destroying Them.

pISJll III iDlStl pN itiS l IlNlli
The artcIce following IS published by
request of the State Crop Pest Commits
sion of louisiana and may be perused
with interest:
Scientists are now realizing that the
abundance of insect pests which the
farmer of today has to battle with. Is
due largely. if not entirely, to the up
setting of natures laws.
Before man placed the woods and
praIries under cultivation. excessive in
crease of any insect species was perhaps
unknown, or at most very rare.
Nature has always provided forces
which operate against each other, as ii
were: and with insects, as with other
creatures. balance between the num-
bers of different species has been main
tanned.
Modern methods of farming have of
ten decreased the natural enemies of in
furious insects, and in other cases have
afforded conditions favorlng the rapid
multiplication of insects not formerly
present in dangerous numbers.
The practical entomologlst of today
while not diScounting the value of pois-
ons and sprays as implements of war
tho s,~--fnntaI host o.
that really satisfactory control is to be
brought about by partial or total re
storation Of the conditions under which
nature formerly prevented the different
species from becoming too numerous.
The entomologist accordingly studies
parasitic enemies and diseases which de-
Stroy the parasites to such an extent
that they largely or entirely control the
injurious forms.
An interesting bit of work of this
character is at present being done by the
State Crop Pest Commission of Louis
lana. In the orange growing parishes
of the State one of the most destruc-
tive pests to the orange and lemon trees
is the white fly This insect not only
sucks the juices from the leaves, but is
indirectly responsible for the 'sooty
mold which chokes up the breathing
pores" of the leaves.
Over in Florida disease called the
"red-pinll fungus" has for several years
been attacking and killing the white
flies. This beneficial fungus did not &C
cur i'll Louisiana until in the spring OF
1900. when the Crop Pest Commission
sent to Florida for trees bearing the ripe
spores. or seeds, of this fungus and dis
tributed these in orange groves i'll about
weather following this introduction was
very dry and the fungus paintings did
not take except at Lake Charles In
an orange grove at the latter place the
fungus is increasing rapidly and on the
trees where it is abundant more than o.
per cent of the white fly larvae on the
trees was killed during the past winter
Encouraged by this partial success, the
entomologists of the commission are
now planting the fungus in orange
groves in Orleans and Jefferson par
ishes and the recent wet weather, which
is favorable to the development of the
fungus, is indicative of success. AS
rapidly as material from the groves al
ready infested with the fungus can be Sc
cured, the commission will start this
disease in other orange groves where the
white fly is prevalent. The present out
look for the success of this experiment
is very bright, and should it prove a
success, this beneficial fungus will save
the orange growers of the State many
times all the money that has been ex-
pended by the commission in its various
lines of work.