13 



The following paper prepared by Professor Fenuild, and published 

 in the Massachusetts Crop Report for August, 1895, is reprinted 

 here for the purpose of extending its distribution. 



THE SAN JOSE SCALE. 



Aspidiotas jierniciosus Comst. 



HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION. 



The San Jose (San Ho-sa') scale insect first made its appearance 

 in California not far from 1870, but it is not known from what 

 country it came, though it is now known to occur in Chili, Australia 

 and Hawaii. Jt increased rapidly till 1873, when it had become so 

 abundant on the fruit trees at Sun Jos.'; as to seriously injure them^ 

 and received the common name of the San Josj scale. 



It was first technically named and described from Santa Clara 

 County, California, by Prof. J. H. Comstock, in the report of the 

 Department of Agriculture for the year 1880, page 304, under the 

 name Asju'diotus jiemiciosus, "The Pernicious Scale." Alter describ- 

 ing it. Professor Comstock says : " From what I have seen of it, I' 

 think that it is the most pernicious scale insect known in this country ; 

 certainly I never saw another species so abundant as this one is in 

 certain orchards which I have visited. It is said to infest all the 

 deciduous fruits grown in California, excepting the peach, apricot 

 and the black tartaiian cherry. It attacks the bark of the trunk and 

 limbs as well as the leaves and fruit. I have seen many plum and 

 apple trees upon which all the fruit was so badly infested that it was 

 unmarketable." Since Professor Comstock wrote the above, the 

 insect has been found on apricot and peach as well as other plants. 



In 1882 it had extended into all the fruit-growing districts of 

 California and lias since that time been distributed over the country 

 more or less widel}', and is now known to occur in Oregon, Washing- 

 ton, British Columbia, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New IMexico, 

 Missouri, Indiana, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New 

 Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. It does not appear to be 

 very generally distributed as yet in the Flastern States, but there is 

 great danger that it may soon become so through the distribution of 

 infested nursery stock, if the most active measures are not adopted 

 for its destruction. 



The dissemination of this insect in the Eastern States has been 

 traced by the entomologist of the Department of Agriculture in. 



