THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 469 



splendid State University and our great National benefactor, the U. S. 

 ]3epartment of Agriculture, that we and they might be substantial 

 gainers thereby ; to work assiduously to eradicate pests now in our state 

 and to keep all others from entering, and lastly, to secure, if possible, 

 a change in our mailing system that would close the open door that now 

 threatens us unhindered from San Diego to Siskiyou. 



I am proud of our record and accomplishments, but transgress no 

 rule of modesty in holding them up for admiration and approval, for 

 these could only come through the aid of my assistants, all of whom 

 are indefatigable workers, very able and entirely loyal to the service. 



Three years ago there were only six quarantine officers' employed by 

 the Commission. Today there are eleven, none too many. Then our 

 entire Mexican border was unguarded. All express shipments were 

 received without inspection. Now we are protected from Yuma, yea 

 from Matamoras, to Eureka and on to Seattle and even Victoria. More- 

 over our express shipments are as vigilantly inspected as are those of 

 the freight cars and steamers. We are now very much less disturbed 

 by the near presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly which Doctor 

 Webber states is the worst insect pest in the world, the Mexican orange 

 maggot and the alfalfa weevil. We believe our quarantine service, 

 pronounced by Doctor Marlatt as well nigh perfect — the best in the 

 world — will continue to protect us from these grave perils. I am very 

 ])roud of our whole 'quarantine service, which Mr. ^Maskow has so ably 

 organized. 



The whole quarantine force were at my suggestion made collaborators 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture. This while in no 

 sense infringing upon their duties in the quarantine service gives them 

 added influence and power as quarantine officials. 



Parasitic Work. 



You know well the burden that the mealy bug, black, red and purple 

 scales have inflicted upon our great fruit industry — almost a million in 

 hard cash every year. I have great hope from the parasites which we 

 may introduce from other lauds, which gave us these pests. We no 

 longer send out a dozen or a score of these little introduced friends, but 

 rear them under our direct care until we can send them out by the 

 thousands, so that they will have every chance for becoming established. 



My faith in this phase of our work led me to reorganize the service, 

 and secure Mr. Harry S. Smith to superintend the work. Dr. L. 0. 

 Howard, head of the Federal Bureau of Entomologj^, tells me that we 

 could have secured no more able man for this work. 



We have received several promising parasites of these destructive 

 insects from Mr. Henry L. Viereck, now Assistant Superintendent of 

 the State Insectary. who was collecting for us during the past year in 

 Sicily. These are being reared in the Insectary until they increase 

 sufficientl}'^ to warrant a colony being placed in some ideal location in 

 the open. From South Africa we are receiving .shipments of black scale 

 well parasitized. Professor Lounsbury states that the black scale in this 

 region is held in check by its parasites and predators. We have already 

 planted two colonies of the internal parasite of the black scale — one in 

 the southern part of the state and one in the northern. From these 

 colonies we hope to distribute parasites all over the black scale infested 



