A Plum Scale. 



683 



When the large shells are found, closely examine the bark in their 

 vicinity for minute, verj^ flat, spindle-shaped, dark brown scales. 

 Many of these are shown, natural size, on the plum branch 

 in figure i ; when these young scales occur as numerously 

 as shown in this figure, they are easily seen in the winter. 

 It is this stage of the insect that now portends danger to 

 some of the best orchards in the state. They are to be found 

 snugly tucked 

 away into almost 

 every crevice on 

 the trees from 

 the trunk near 

 the ground to 

 the topmost twig 

 How they got 

 there, and what 

 they will do in 

 the spring (they 

 are now doing no 

 harm) is discus- 

 sed further on 

 under the life 

 history of the 

 pest. The male 

 insect is also dis- 

 cussed under the 



same neacling. Fig. i. — Plum branch containing many young scales in 



hibernation near the large mother-shells ; and phim 

 leaves with many of the young scales along the veins, 

 as they appear in sum,mer. All natural size, 



ITS NAME. 



This plum scale is allied to the well-known Mealy Bugs on green 

 house plants, to the Oyster-shell Bark-louse so common on some 

 unhealth}' apple trees here in the east, and to the very destructive 

 San Jose Scale recently introduced into our state. However, the 

 pest belongs to a different group of the scale in.sects known as the 

 I^ecaniums ; several species of Lecaniums are serious pests in 

 California orchards. As this difficult group has received compara- 



