80 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



In view of the almost unanimous demand by fruit growers for protective legis- 

 lation against this enemy, it became of much moment to find out as soon as possible 

 what was the true state of affairs in the province with regard to its actual distribution 

 and establishment in our orchards. 



On June 10th a well attended meeting of fruit growers was convened at the orchard 

 of Mr. Charles Thonger, near Niagara when the subject was discussed at length. The 

 necessity for everyone concerned being able to recognize the scale was brought out at this 

 meeting and steps were immediately taken to supply an evident lack of knowledge on 

 this point among Canadian fruit growers. Prof. J. Hoyes Panton, of the Government 

 Agricultural College, at Guelpb, prepared and issued promptly an excellent concise 

 bulletin, which was widely distributed by the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Arts, 

 and at the same time a large illustrated wall poster, 2ft. 3in. by lit. 8in., was prepared 

 by the Dominion Entomologist at Ottawa for putting up in Post Office?, Railway Stations, 

 School Houses, Public Halls and other much frequented places. This was illustrated 

 with figures of an infested pear and a piece of an infested branch, natural size, and also 

 enlarged figures of the female insect and her scale. Warning was given that the San 

 Jose* scale was already in Canada and that if it were allowed to spread, great loss would 

 surely be the result. The best way to identify the insect was given, together with advice 

 as to the proper remedy and the way to apply it in case anyone should be unfortunate 

 enough to find this public enemy on his trees. 



Fig. 53. Female scale, wilh a male adult to the left, greatly enlarged. 



These sources of information were distributed widely amongst fruit growers living 

 in those districts where the San Jose' scale was likely to occur. In addition to the above 

 measures, by instruction of the Hon. John Dryden, special attention was paid to this 

 subject by Mr. W. M. Orr, the Superintendent of Spraying Experiments, and every effort 

 was made to find out to what extent orchards were infested. Whenever the scale was 

 found, active measures were at once put in force to secure its eradication. Collections 

 were made of the scile upon various fruit trees and show cases were exhibited in the 

 more important autumn exhibitions, which were attended by Mr. Orr, who was untiring 

 in his efforts to explain to visitors the nature of the insect and warn all against neglecting 

 it. In every instance where this pernicious insect has been found on tree? in Canada 

 the owners have done their utmost to destroy it, sparing no expense of labor or material. 

 All were easily convinced by the fatal effects of its presence on their trees that this was 

 no ordinary insect pest they had to fight against. 



What is the San Jose' Scale ? The San Jose - scale is a very small (about one-tenth of 

 an inch in diameter), round, flattened and inconspicuous scale insect, that is, a sucking 

 insect like the well-known Oyster-shell Lark-louse and the Scurfy Bark-louse, covered by 

 a waxy scale which, as we find it on trees, is the only part visible except in the early 

 larval stage, when scale insects, for a few days, have the power of walking. 



The exact identification of this species is a matter of some little difficulty, for there 

 are at least two other scales occurring on fruit trees in Canadian orchards, the Putnam 

 Scale (A. ancylus, Put.,), and the Forbes Scale (A. Forbesi, Jnsn,), which superficially so 

 closely resemble the San Jose - scale as to render it necessary for a specialist who has studied 

 the matter before hand, to examine the mature females under the microscope and that after 

 boiling in caustic potash, before the difference can be made out. Moreover, both of these 

 scales occasionally may be found in vast numbers upon an infested tree, but the exac 



