REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. LXXXIII 



in former reports, in many foreign lands, notably South Africa, Por- 

 tugal, and Egypt. During the last year colonies were sent from Cali- 

 fornia, at our request, to Dr. Antonio Berlese, Portici, Italy, where 

 this same white scale had established itself. Recent reports indicate 

 that this exportation has proved to be another of the series of suc- 

 cesses which has attended this insect wherever it has been sent to work 

 against its notable scale-insect host. A colony of this ladybird has 

 recently been sent, by request of the local board of agriculture, to 

 Papeiti, Societ}" Islands. We have also had sent, through the kind- 

 ness of Mr. Craw, various beneficial lad^^birds to the Bermuda Islands 

 to assist in keeping in check the noxious scale insects occurring on 

 those islands. 



The South African Grasshopper Fungus. 



The report of last year noted the beginning of an experiment to 

 determine the effectiveness of the African grasshopper fungus as a 

 means of destroying various forms of destructive locusts. The experi- 

 ment has been continued the present year and much extended, the 

 intention being to give this fungus a thorough and practical test to 

 demonstrate whether it can really be counted on as a means of con- 

 trolling the locust or not. The number of experimenters last year 

 during the entire season was 223. Durino- the summer of 1902 

 cultures of the fungus were sent to nearly 1,000 individuals, not 

 including the perhaps even greater number of cultures which have 

 been locally prepared b}^ various individuals, and especially b}^ Prof. 

 C. P. Gillette, of the Colorado State Agricultural College, who has 

 taken charge of the culture preparations and their distribution in his 

 State. These cultures have been sent out to 25 different States and 

 Territories. Results have not yet been tabulated, but some successes 

 have been reported. It now seems probable that very great reliance 

 can not be placed on this fungous disease. Either it does not work 

 with our grasshoppers as readily as it does with the South African 

 locust or our climate makes our species of grasshopper more resistant 

 or the fungus less operative. 



The Fig Fertilizing Insect. 



As a further report of progress on the introduction and establish- 

 ment of the fig-fertilizing insect in California referred to in previous 

 reports and especially summarized in the report for 1901, it may be 

 said for the year 1902 that thousands of figs containing the insects suc- 

 cessfully withstood the winter climate of California, and an unlimited 

 amount of fig insects was available at the proper time for caprification 

 in the spring of 1902, resulting in the production of some 50 tons of 

 Smyrna figs in the sole commercial orchard in existence at present, 

 that of Mr. George C. Roeding, at Fresno. It was further found that 

 AGR 1902 6 



