LOUISIANA CIRCULAR No. 4. 



abundance. From observations made during the past season the 

 writer is convinced that the San Jose scale, more than all other 

 agencies combined, has been responsible for the failure of the 

 peach crop to become of great importance, for if properly cared 

 for, this should be one of the most important crops, from a 

 financial standpoint, in North Louisiana. 



The occurrence of this pest within the State may be ascribed 

 principally to the fact that Louisiana has not until very re- 

 cently had in effect a quarantine system against this and other 

 fruit tree pests. All of the leading fruit-growing States of the 

 Union, and, in fact, a majority of all the States, have for several 

 years had in force quarantine laws which made it practically im- 

 possible for nurserymen with scale-infested trees, to market their 

 stock in those States. The natural result has been that those 

 States wherein quarantine laws did not exist, or were not en- 

 forced, have been the "dumping grounds" for nurseries whose 

 stock was infested with the pest and therefore barred from 

 the States that were properly protected. 



The fruit-tree "peddlers," many of whom make a practice 

 of purchasing poor or worthless nursery stock at a low price and 

 peddling it out to farmers who are ignorant of its true condition 

 have also doubtless been responsible for much of the dissemina- 

 tion of this pest in Louisiana. 



When the San Jose scale first appeared in the Eastern States, 

 the fruit growers were inclined to give up all hope, and many 

 fears were expressed that the advent of this little insect would 

 prove the destruction of the entire deciduous fruit-growing in- 

 dustry of the country. However, after a number of years of 

 pains-taking experiments, carried on by entomologists and Ex- 

 periment Stations over the entire country, assisted by the larger 

 commercial fruit growers, an effective remedy for this pest has 

 been devised, and the progressive, intelligent fruit grower need 

 have no fear of this pest destroying his orchards, or even re- 

 ducing their productiveness or longevity if he will combat it 



intelligently. 



As the State Crop Pest Commission was established to deal 

 not only with the cotton boll weevil, but with other serious crop 

 and fruit pests as well, and as the San Jose scale is already a 



