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caused serious losses to the fruit crop. The black scale [Saissetia oleae] 

 was formerly a serious pest of ornamental and fruit trees, but has now 

 been greatly reduced by its natural enemy, ScutelUsta. The cottony 

 cushion scale [Icerya purchasi], formerly a serious menace to ornamental 

 trees, has been to a large extent controlled, and would be better 

 checked if Novius (Vedalia) cardinalis w^ere more plentiful ; this 

 CoccineUid for some reason is not multiplying rapidly. The codling 

 moth [Cydia pomondla] rarely appears on apples in the coast districts, 

 but in the interior is a serious pest. Hitherto it has been necessary to 

 depend upon voluntary action on the part of growers to keep the pest 

 in check, but it is hoped that the new Standard Apple Act will produce 

 better results. The growing of currants for commercial purposes has 

 practically been abandoned owing to the currant fruit fly [Epochra 

 canadensis]. The growing of beans has been much interfered with by 

 the prevalence of the two-spotted mite [TetranycJius telarius], but dry 

 sulphur has proved a satisfactory treatment for it. Anarsia lineateUa 

 (peach twig borer) was for many years the cause of losses amounting 

 to as much as 50 per cent, of the peach crop ; this pest is now 

 absolutely controlled by the use of lime-sulphur spray in the spring 

 when the blossom buds are swelling. 



Spraying of citrus trees against scale-insects in San Bernadino has 

 led to the conclusion that it is not as efficient as fumigation, is more 

 expensive and causes greater injury. Sprays containing arsenic are apt 

 to cause severe scorching of the fruit, dropping of leaves and dead 

 wood, while miscible oils cause defoliation and spotting or dropping of 

 fruit. Sulphur sprays frequently scorch the fruit, when applied during 

 high temperatures ; a large cjuantity of soap also seems to bleach or 

 discolour the trees and scorch the fruit. Kerosene and oil distillate, 

 w^hen properly emulsified, did little \'isible damage and when carefully 

 applied controlled the scales as well as any other spray. All sprays, 

 when strong enough to kill scale-insects, do more or less injury to citrus 

 trees, and these are only recommended in the case of very young trees 

 that might be injured by a fumigation tent or for trees that it is 

 impossible to fumigate. 



The advisability of clearing away all weeds and rubbish in the 

 autumn, and of taking down fences with their accompanying weeds 

 wherever possible, is strongly urged as being of great assistance in the 

 control of brown mites, potato tuber moth [Phthorimaea opercidella], 

 various Aphids, thrips, cutworms, grape root worm [Fidia viticida] and 

 many other pests. 



During recent years fruit-growers on the Pacific Coast have been 

 waging an uphill fight against increasing losses from the depredations 

 of various Aj)hids ; apples, prunes, walnuts and pears have all suft'ered 

 heavily. In particular, the appearance of the pear root aphis [Ei iosoma 

 pyficola] has necessitated some control being used for this pest and it 

 was found that Black leaf 40, 1 part to 1,000 parts water, poured into 

 the soil around the roots practically freed the trees from the root- 

 infesting forms. The experiment was then tried of planting a plot 

 with tobacco, the refuse from this growth being chopped up and placed 

 in trenches around the fruit-trees, 5 lb. being used for each tree. This 

 was first applied in November and the rest towards the end of 

 February : the second application seemed to be the most successful and 

 an orchard badly attacked by both this species and Eriosoma lanigerum 



