ENEMIES, AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM. 101 



hardly think that such a tiny thing could do so much dam- 

 age to a noble tree ; but the trouble is in their number, 

 which is legion. 



There are several kinds of scale, but all are to be plainly 

 seen on the leaves, twigs, and even on the fruit. All are 

 enemies to the tree, and all may be killed by the applica- 

 tion of the remedies given at the conclusion of the present 

 chapter. 



The white scale is the most noticeable, its color and the 

 large size of its scale house, in comparison with that of the 

 mussel-shell scale just described, making it very conspicu- 

 ous. This scale is highly arched, and of a pinkish-white 

 at maturity, with seven well-defined dots, three on each 

 side and one at the posterior. Just before the eggs hatch 

 the scale becomes more globular in form and the top takes 

 on a brown tint. The insect, which is pale yellow, and 

 looks, under the microscope, like a wood-louse, crawls 

 about for a few days, then strikes its beak into the bark 

 and the waxy scale begins to form. This completed, the 

 eggs are laid, over one hundred in number. 



Mr. Ashinead, in his work already referred to, makes a 

 calculation of the progeny of one of these scale insects, 

 for one season, and it amounts to the frightful total of one 

 million. 



If it were not for that Providence which is ever watch- 

 ing and planning for man's welfare, his fight against the 

 spread of these destructive insects would be an almost hope- 

 less one ; but he is not left to battle single-handed. Even 

 the most minute insects have their relentless "war of 

 races," and thus the scale insects have enemies, who, had 

 they happily been imported into our country at the same 

 time, would never have allowed them to spread far and 

 wide, and create the panic they did among the orange 

 growers. 



