Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05
Continued From Fifth Page.)

Continued From Fifth Page)
eral million insects of six species OF
parasites that prey upon the corn borer
have been distributed in New England
States and areas of the Corn Belt.
The departments search for parasites
of the corn borer is being intensified aS
part of the national campaign against
this pest. Entomologists with head
quarters at Hyeres, France, are seeking
the parasites In France, Italy, Spain
and Portugal. AS. yet only II species
Of parasites of the corn borer have been
found, of which have become cstab-
lished in this country. The ideal OF
the entomologist is to find parasites
which will attack the borer in each
stage of its development.
Many species of introduced parasites
and preda cious insects captured in for
eign countries by the Government ento-
mologists are assisting in holding in
check the scale insects, aphidS anC
mealybuGs in the. citrus orchards OF
Florida and California. In California
these beneficial species are being reared
in laboratories in, large numbers anc
liberated among the insects which they
are expected to destroy. Perhaps nc
other method of holding fruit insects In
control, say the entomoIogists. has
greater promise than this practice OF
using the natural enemies to destroy
the harmful species of insects.
x* + 4
THE story of how CALIFORNIA; fruit
industry was saved by setting nat
ural enemies against the pests that were
destroying crops is told by DR.. L. O.
Howard. world-famous entomologist and
Foy % - d.,
reau of Entomology.
There appeared upon certain acacia
trees at Menlo Park, Calf" DR.. Howard
says, "a scale insect which rapidly in
creased and spread from tree to tree,
attacking apples, figs, ounces, pone-
granates, roses and many other trees
and plants. but seeming to prefer orange
and lemon trees. This insect. which
came to be known as the white scale
or f1uted scale, was an insignificant
creature in itself. resembling small bit
of fluted white wax a little more than a
fourth of an inch in length.
when the scales had once taken pos
session of tree they swarmed over 1t
until the bark was hidden: they sucked
its sap through their minute beaks I'M
til the plant became so feeble the leaves
and young fruit dropped off. a black
smut fungus crept over the young twigs
and the weakened tree gradually died
Orchard after orchard of oranges, worth
a thousand dollars or more an acre,
was utterly destroyed, the best fruit
growing sections Of the State were in
vaded and ruin stared the fruit growers
in the face.
1.-TWO agents Of the Department of
Agriculture we're sent to California to
study the problem. They took year to
work out the complete life history of the
insect. and washes were discovered that,
applied TO the trees in the form of a
spray, would kill large proportion of
the pests at comparatively slight ex-
pense. 1t was soon found, however, that
the average fruit grower would not take
the trouble to spray his trees. largely
from the fact that he had experimental
for years with inferior washes and quack
mixtures. and from his lack of success
was preiudiced against liquid COM
pounds
Meantime after much Sitting of evil
dence and much correspondence with