DISEASES OF THE FIG TREE ] 151 



patches on the upper surface. Most fig trees are every 

 year more or less affected by this fungus towards autumn, 

 but when the attack is severer than usual and commences 

 early in summer, the tree is defoliated in such a manner 

 that the bare branches are unable to bring the green 

 fruit to maturity. Against this disease there is no known 

 remedy, but as a precaution the fallen leaves showing 

 signs of infection should be collected and burned or made 

 use of as a bedding for animals. 



Among the scale insects the only one which is really 

 dangerous to the fig tree is Ceroplastes Rusci, the fig- 

 scale. For a description of this insect see under Citrus 

 trees, page 85. This scale insect is found chiefly on the 

 fig tree, but attacks also the Custard apple and the 

 Quince, as well as the Pine, the Pear, the Apple and 

 the Orange. In a bad attack both surfaces of the leaf, 

 the leaf-stalk, the twigs and the green fruit, become 

 dotted or covered all over with this scale, sometimes in 

 masses sticking close together, and the sugary exudation 

 produced by the insects attracts swarms of ants and flies, 

 which indirectly assist to spread the insect from branch 

 to branch. Moreover the sugaiy exudation of honey 

 dew is sooner or later followed by an attack of the sooty 

 fungus, so that the foliage, as well as the twigs and the 

 green fruit, and sometimes also the branches and the 

 stem become covered by a thick black crust. When 

 the scale is brushed off from the twig, the suctorial 

 organs remain embedded in the bark, and for some time 

 continue to secrete tiny drops of honey dew, so that if 

 the scale is removed in the morning and the twig 

 inspected again in the afternoon, a droplet of honey 

 dew will be found exactly on the spot where the suctorial 

 organs are embedded. This proves that the honey dew 

 is produced by the action of the suctorial organs on the 

 sap of the tree. 



Trees suffering from a bad attack of fig-scale 

 become greatly exhausted, shed off their leaves very 



