568 N^KW JF.KSr.N ST A 'I I". AGRICULTURAL 



An outbreak of this kind is not at all unusual, and during the 

 summer of 1896. we had an appearance very much like that of the 

 past season. At that time I wrote: "In some parts of the State 

 the Cottony Maple Scale seems to have been quite numerous and 

 some alarm was occasioned by its occurrence ; but it disappeared, 

 as was to be expected, toward the end of the season, and the set 

 of young- where I had an opportunity to make an examination did 

 not seem to indicate any very large increase for next year." In 

 the Report for 1897 ^ wrote: "No complaints were received of 

 the Cottony Maple Scale, which last year occurred in numbers 

 and this is what I suggested would happen in my last Report. 

 There was a great mortality among tlie young scales and few 

 breeding females were seen w-here they were most abundant in 

 1896." From that time on the insects have again gradually in- 

 creased in numbers and in almost every report there is some 

 reference to the species from the eastern cities. The season of 

 1904 seems to have been the culmination of a period of increase, 

 and judging from what has happened in the past I would expect 

 very little, or no serious infestation for 1905. 



The truth is that this insect, like all those that are constantly 

 with us. has its periods of rise and fall. It is subject to the 

 attacks of numerous parasites and there are a number of predatory 

 insects that feed upon it. It is also subject to a variety of insect 

 diseases, and these, when the insects are most numerous, find their 

 iDest opportunity for spread and development. From specimens 

 brought into the laboratory this year, we obtained a greater num- 

 ber of parasites than ever before in our experience, and it is fair to 

 suppose that the material secured by us was not in any way 

 abnormal, or was not a fair representation of that which occurred 

 on the trees. So far as examination has been made, there seems 

 to be no very heavy setting of young scales, and ns these have yet 

 the entire winter before them, it seems a fair conclusion that not 

 a very large percentage of them will be in condition to develope 

 next summer. 



That this insect is subject to many destructive attacks is also 

 indicated by the enormous number of young that it developes. 

 Every separate aggregation of white cottony tufting represents 

 one scale insect and this white tufting is simply an excretion of 

 the insect itself, meant to protect the minute brown eggs, which 

 are produced in almost incredible numbers. Every individual 

 scale produces several thousand eggs and these remain in the cot- 

 tony mass until ready to hatch. When they emerge from the eggs 

 the young creatures have six tiny legs, and by means of these they 



