CHAPTER VI. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUITS. 



The work of the fruit grower is not only one of tillage, prun- 

 ing and fertilizing the crop, but he must be ever on the watch to 

 ward off or kill the insects and diseases that injure or destroy 

 his crop. None of these treatments can be neglected with im- 

 punity, yet if the crop has good cultivation and manuring it 

 will overcome insect injuries and adverse conditions much bet- 

 ter than if neglected. However, spraying will not take the place 

 of manuring, nor manuring of spraying. 



The great growth and wide specializing in fruit growing 

 has led to the increase of troublesome pests. In some sections 

 where the natural food of the native insects has been destroyed 

 by cleaning the land, they have attacked the introduced plants. 

 Then, too, new and exceedingly injurious insects and diseases 

 have been introduced from other countries and have spread 

 rapidly within recent years and these often need extremely dras- 

 tic measures for their prevention. Good illustrations of the 

 latter are peach yellows and root galls among diseases, and 

 San Jose scale, Gypsy and Brown Tail moths among insects. 

 By the introduction of insects and diseases some of the old 

 standard varieties have been driven out of cultivation, even 

 in sections where they formerly grew, or else can now only 

 be grown when they are given much more care than was former- 

 ly necessary. The presence of these pests and the discovery of 

 methods of checking their injuries has worked for the interests 

 of the careful, painstaking grower who now has a decided ad- 

 vantage over the slovenly cultivator. In other words, it takes 

 more brains and application to raise fruit now than formerly. 



Comparative exemption from pests is often the case in new 

 fruit areas but this exemption seldom lasts more than a few 

 years, as is shown by the history of the new fruit areas in the 

 Pacific Coast states where exceptional immunity from insect 

 pests was enjoyed for many years, which might have been 

 continued indefinitely had there been a suitable inspection law 



