169 



October. The extent and rapid increase of our orange orchards make it of the utmost 

 importance that a sure means of keeping them clean and free from all injurious insects 

 is discovered and applied. There is an etFort being made just now to get a gasing 

 apparatus to apply the hydrocyanic gas to scale-infested orchards. We .ire compara- 

 tively free from pests in the mean time, but there are a few, and tlie fear that they 

 may spread is directing attention to increased efforts to get rid of them. The scare 

 from Florida scale has led to increased vigilance and closer observation. I found a 

 few live purple scale on young Florida trees newly planted out this spring and made 

 it known, calling attention to the danger. But no live Florida scale have been found 

 on trees planted for one or two years. A few live wax scale were shown me from 

 young Florida trees that were imported this season, hut with these exceptions, as far 

 as I have heard, the Florida scale now found is dead. My time for research and in- 

 vestigation is rather limited. Inspectors are not j^aid for such work, and it must he 

 done after the usual working hours. I think sometimes money could be profitably 

 spent in paying for observation. Another difficulty I have is in mounting specimens 

 for the microscope. I have not been able to fiud a suitable material for preserving 

 the specimens on the slides, but perseverence will in the end insure success. San 

 Jos6 scale {A-'^2)i(Holiis 2)erniciosus) is abundant on all our deci nous trees except apri- 

 cots, and a few were found on them this season, but ic is not getting so much atten- 

 tion, as the deciduous trees are no source of iucome here, so they are being generally 

 rooted out to make room for orange trees. I have seen many deciduous trees nearly 

 killed with this scale. While getting specimens to send I found plenty of young set- 

 tied on the leaves. — [D. Gregorson, Riverside, San Bernardino County, Cal., July 30, 

 1890. 



Reply. — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 30th ultimo, together 

 with the accompanying specimens. The scale insect which you lindonthe box-elder 

 (Neoundo accroidea) is a new specimen o{ Lecaniurn, which we have had from Califor- 

 nia on many occasions, but on a variety of plants. Your letter is very interesting, 

 and I shall take the liberty of ])ublisliiug j)ortions of it in Insect Life. The black 

 scale has in some portions of California a moderately effective parasite known as 

 Dilophofjaster californica, which may account for its not spreading with you. The 

 orchardists who contend that ants nurse the scale insects are uudoubtedly correct. 

 Your experience with kerosene emulsion is exceptional, and probably ill-founded. — 

 [August 6, 1890.] 



Household Pests. 



I am in receipt of your favor of the 17th instant ; also of Insect Life. I find these 

 periodical bulletins quite interesting, and am much obliged to you for them. Per- 

 haps the reason the bug did not reach you was that it was put in a glass vial, and the 

 vial was packed in a sardine box, tlie glass being interdicted. I am sorr}- you did not 

 receive it. Reading on page 211 of Insect Life I find your article " The true clothes 

 moth," and I am surprised to find that you and I differ on this point, and while I don't 

 boast of any science or learning on the subject, I feel like defending my opinion, for 

 I have a life-long experience at my back, and my business — an old merchant— re- 

 quired me to be on the alert for this little household pest. In the old times, away 

 back here in the mountains, where the merchant kept everything and when store 

 clothes were the exception, the apartment was not complete without a piece of sat- 

 inet and a fevv yards of broadcloth on the shelves — old English-made cloth, just the 

 thing to get damaged — $6 to $7 per yard. We used to be shocked occasionally by 

 finding that the moths bad cut dozens of holes in the best pieces of goods we had. 

 Then search had to be made, and it resulted in finding a dimiuutive hair-worm very 

 much after the order and style of that larger cousin of his, the terror of the furrier 

 and the dealer in peltries — the ordinnry hair-worm. But this little fellow differs in 

 shape frum that cousin of his, as well as in size, for he tapers more rapidly from the 

 head to the tail, and to that appendage has an arrangement of hairs upon it giving 

 it a forked appearance. (See specimens, which I send you by this mail, of this true 



