A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 635 



All imported nursery stock should be at once carefully inspected, 

 to prevent the introduction of other and perhaps still more destruc- 

 tive scale-insects. Any infected stock should be burned or else 

 fumigated at once, with hydrocyanic acid gas.* 



I could find no evidence in Bermuda of the presence of many of 

 the most pernicious scale-insects that infest the Florida and California 

 citrus trees. Therefore, there are good reasons for special laws to 

 keep out these dangerous species, some of which attack various 

 other fruit trees as well. 



So little careful attention has been paid to the study of these 

 small but pernicious insects in Bermuda, that little can now be learned 

 of the species that caused the former destruction of the trees. It is 

 natural to infer that those still found on the surviving trees are the 

 same, but this is not certain. 



It is recorded that Governor Reid, about 1844-48, introduced new 

 and choice varieties of oranges, which flourished for a time. Possibly 

 he introduced the destructive scale-insects on those plants, for they 

 became abundant and destructive soon after that date. Had effective 

 measures been promptly taken, the pest might have been easily 

 stayed at first. But the modern methods of destroying scale-insects 

 by kerosene emulsions ; or better, b} r fumigating the trees with 

 hydrocyanic acid gas under tent cloths, were of course then 

 unknown. f 



However, it is certain that oranges had become scarce before 

 Governor Reid's time. Bishop Berkeley, in 1837, spoke of their 

 decline and scarcity at that time, and attributed it to the cutting of 

 the cedars, which exposed the orange trees to the blighting winds. 

 But perhaps he and others overlooked the scale-insects that may 

 have been at work even then. Mr. Williams, writing in 1847-48, 

 also speaks of the oranges being then scarce. 



* Some American dealers in nursery stock now fumigate their plants before 

 sending them out. It would be well if all were required by law to do this. 

 Sooner or later those dealers who can furnish disinfected and guaranteed stock 

 will gain most of the trade. Buyers should demand such stock. 



f It is doubtful if sufficient energy or interest in the matter could then have 

 been aroused in the Bermudian planters, generally, to have induced them to 

 apply such remedies extensively, even if they had been known, for most of the 

 smaller cultivators are inclined to " take things easy " and trust to " Providence " 

 in such cases. Trusting to prayers and Providence against infectious diseases 

 and insect pests is, at the present day, only an excuse for laziness or ignorance, 

 or both. 



