THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 439 



COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' DEPARTMENT. 



STATISTICS SHOWING LOSS OF ALL KINDS OF CROPS 



GROWING IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



CAUSED BY INSECTS. 



By Wm. Wood, County Horticultural Commissioner, of Los Angeles County. 



I have been requested to give statistics showing the loss of all kinds 

 of crops in Los Angeles County occasioned by insects. This I have 

 found a difficult problem and the best I can do will be somewhat of a 

 guess. However, there is some consolation to whoever makes the guess, 

 as no one is likely to dispute its correctness. 



For the citrus crop, our leading industry, we have pretty complete 

 data of the cost of controlling insects. 



The most of the groves are fumigated and a few sprayed each year. 

 The cost of last year's treatment of groves was $320,000.00. 



This amount did not cover all of the loss, because insects caused 

 considerable injur}' to crops before all of the season's work could be 

 completed, and if we add this damage and some caused by treatment, I 

 feel confident it will show the loss to be about $560,000.00 — 7 per cent 

 of the value of the citrus crop. 



For all other crops grown in Los Angeles County, we have no data 

 of the loss caused by insects. We have, hoAvever. statistics which give 

 the value of all those crops at about $8,000,000.00, and as the damage 

 to these crops by insects is not so great as that of the citrus crop, I have 

 made the estimate of loss 6 per cent or $480,000.00. making a total loss 

 of all crops growing in Los Angeles County $1,040,000.00. 



In looking over the L^nited States Government statistics of loss of 

 crops by insects for a number of years all over the United States, I 

 find that their estimate averages about 10 per cent loss. This greater 

 loss than ours is probably due to vast infestations of grasshoppers, 

 cotton boll weevil, chinch bugs, potato beetle and some other insects 

 that we are not troubled with. In making my estimate of loss of crops 

 by insects, I have made no mention of loss caused by fungous or 

 bacterial diseases; these diseases are responsible for much of the damage 

 blamed to insects. But as it would be very difficult to find out what 

 portion of loss diseases cause, I am charging all loss to insects. The 

 time will come when the loss caused by each of these pests will be 

 considered separately, and a good part of the loss to all kinds of crops 

 will be charged to fungous and bacterial diseases and the treatment 

 for control of diseases will be just as necessary as these for insects. 



