CHAPTER XI 



DISEASES AND PESTS 



The date palm, in comparison with most other 

 fruit trees, is notably free from disease. The un- 

 observant Baghdad peasant, indeed, declares, "The 

 palm has but two diseases — thirst and the chirnib, " 

 the latter being the palm borer, whose presence is 

 too apparent to be overlooked. But in general little 

 expense will be incurred by date growers in suppressing 

 diseases or pests, and the possibilities of loss in this 

 direction are very slight. 



The most troublesome enemies are two scale 

 insects, which are to be found throughout the whole 

 date growing world, but which nowhere cause wide- 

 spread damage. Their discovery, from the view- 

 point of modern science, is due to Americans, but they 

 were discovered and named by Arab scientists 

 centuries ago. 



The Parlatoria scale {Parlatoria blanchardi) 

 was introduced into the United States on the first 

 importation of offshoots, made in 1889. It is a gray 

 insect living on the leaves of the palm, and apparently 

 confined to that plant alone ; it remains nearly dormant 

 during the winter, but is active all summer, at the 

 greatest growing period of the palm. It damages the 

 tissues, but its greatest injury is in covering a cluster 

 of dates and rendering them so unsightly that they 

 are unsaleable. 



The following description is condensed from 

 Cockerell: To the naked eye, the scales appear as 

 small dark gray or black specks, edged with white. 



