377 



Reply. _* * * The insect oq your Camellias is the Camellia Scale ( Fiorinia camel- 

 lia; Comst. ). It lias previously beeu observed only on the Camellias in the hot-lionses of 

 this Department, but has been so thoroughly treated that it is not common. You will 

 tind a good remedy in the application of a kerosene-soap emulsion, made according to 

 the following formula : 



Kerosene 2 gals. 



Common soap or whale-oil soap | lb. 



Water 1 gal. 



Heat the solution of soap and add it boiling hot to the kerosene. Churn the mixt- 

 ure by means of a force pump and spray nozzle for five or ten minutes. The emul- 

 sion, if perfect, forms a cr-^an which thickens on cooling and should adhere without 

 oiliness to the surface of glass. Dilute one part of emulsion with nine parts of water. 

 — [January 15, 1887.] 



The Australian Lady-Bird. 



In several of my previous letters to you I have expressed my belief that the red- 

 and-bl;ick Lady-bug from Australia would prove more ettectual as a destroyer of the 

 Icerya than any of the other predaceons or parasitic insects recently introduced into 

 this State from Australia, and I am now able to state definitely th at such is the case. 

 The Orange tree covered with a tent at Mr. WolfskiU's, in this city, where I colo- 

 nized the first two or three consignments of these Lady-bugs, is now almost entirely 

 free from living Iceryas, while on the adjoining trees many larvae of this Lady-bug 

 are now busily engaged in destroying these pests, and already the good work ac- 

 complished by them is apparent to the most casual observer. I have also colonized 

 them in several localities in this part of the State, and in every instance the attempt 

 has proved successful, the Lady-bugs apparently thriving q uite as well here as they 

 would in their native land. 



From time to time I have carefully examined the Iceryas on the tree under the tent 

 where I colonized all of the Lestophonus iceryw received from Australia, but thus far 

 have found no outward signs of parasites, although several of the Ice ryas that I dis- 

 sected contained larva3 of the Lestophonus. It is possible that in time this parasite 

 may accomplish much good by destroying the Iceryas, but the work of the Lady-bu"- 

 referred to above is so much more rapid and effectual that it seems only a waste of 

 time to bother any longer with the slow-going Lestophonus. Certain it is that these 

 two species could not live together in the same locality, since the Lady-bugs would 

 devour all the Iceryas and the Lestophonus could not help itself. In comparing the 

 work accomplished by the Lady-bugs with that of the Lestophonus, I am strongly 

 tempted to uncover the tree inhabited by the Lestophonus and allow the Lady-bugs 

 to accomplish the work that the slow-going Lestophonus should have done but has 

 not. The latter may be an effectual destroyer of the Mouophloebns, but it is no match 

 for the Icerya, and the latter would certainly have continued to thrive and spread 

 devastation among our orange groves but for the timelj' arrival of the Lady-bugs, 

 whose persistent, Yankee-like energy will soon result in sweeping this curse from our 

 orange groves. — [D. W. Coquillett, Los Angeles, Cal., May 1, 1889. 



It gives me the greatest pleasure to report that the colonization of the parasites 

 upon my trees appears to have resulted remarkably well, so far. Large numbers 

 have hatched on each of the three trees upon which we placed the boxes, and, better 

 still, Mr. Scott Chapman and myself found three larvteupou an adjoining tree, show- 

 ing conclusively that the Lady-birds were already distributing their eggs through the 

 orchard. — [J. R. Dobbins, San Gabriel, Cal., April 27, 1889, to D. W. Coquillett. 



Valgus canaliculatus a Quince Enemy. 



I have been watching for several years to see the enemy of the Quince that eats 

 out the fruit buds when they are quite small. I send you a small beetle which I have 



