THE OLEANDER SCALE. • 49 



Prevention and Remedies. 



Owing to careful observation having been made regard- 

 ing this scale, I have found that early spring, also earlv 

 summer, are the times when the young scale are mostly 

 hatched. Plants, no matter of what kind, if otherwise 

 healthy and robust, seem to outgrow the attack, however 

 severe. Hedges of Pittosporum undulatum^ also of the 

 common laurel, have been seen to recover completely 

 even after the leaves had been so thickly covered with 

 this particular scale that it was a somewhat difficult 

 matter to determine what the plants really were, every 

 leaf both above and below being covered with thick 

 layers of scales, often overlapping each other like oysters 

 in an oyster bed. 



Another peculiar fact that I have noted concerning 

 this scale, viz., the so-called " honey-dew " is less 

 frequent with this species, also A. Rossi^ than with many 

 other kinds, and thus the "soot-fungus" is not often 

 j)resent, and although the absence of "soot-fungus" 

 lessens our task as regards sjDraying, the indications so 

 constant an accompaniment of most coccidsB are thus 

 wanting, so we must adopt other measures for the dis- 

 covery of this insect in its early attacks ujDon the trees. 



One very useful thing in an orchard, vineyard, or farm 

 is an ordinary wool-classifier's lens, usually about three 

 or four inches in diameter, and with this a portion of the 

 tree at least can be scanned over, when the scale, or indeed 

 other insects also, can be easily detected. 



When any scale is found to be on the tree, do not wait, 

 as is often the case, until the insects have had time to 

 increase and spread over the tree, and which unless 

 promptly tackled they assuredly will do, and that in an 

 incredibly short space of time. Commence at once, and 

 according to the then state of the plant, no matter of what 

 kind, spray with either the kerosene emulsion or the resin 

 compound, as described in another part of the book. 

 Spraying, when properly carried out, cannot fail to at 

 least check the increase of any scale, no matter how bad 

 it may be. 



