﻿the 
  Hessian 
  Fly. 
  861 
  

  

  and 
  even 
  after 
  harvest, 
  when 
  there 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  self-sown 
  

   plants, 
  I 
  doubt 
  if 
  it 
  would 
  answer. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  next 
  stage, 
  the 
  larval, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  their 
  work 
  ; 
  so 
  we 
  must 
  wait 
  another 
  month, 
  or 
  

   until, 
  say, 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July 
  before 
  we 
  can 
  find 
  the 
  bent 
  

   straws, 
  when, 
  supposing 
  there 
  was 
  any 
  desire 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  

   of 
  Government 
  to 
  do 
  anything 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  checking 
  the 
  

   pest, 
  the 
  puparia 
  could, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  proved, 
  be 
  

   collected 
  by 
  thousands 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  breeding 
  the 
  

   parasites. 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  what 
  can 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  

   importing 
  the 
  natural 
  enemies 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  injurious 
  pest, 
  

   I 
  cannot 
  do 
  better 
  than 
  call 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  everyone 
  

   here 
  present 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Eiley's 
  Report 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   Committee 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  on 
  that 
  most 
  injurious 
  pest, 
  

   the 
  Orange 
  Scale 
  {leery 
  a 
  Parchasi), 
  which, 
  as 
  most 
  

   horticulturists 
  know, 
  has 
  utterly 
  ruined 
  whole 
  districts 
  

   of 
  orange-groves 
  in 
  California, 
  &c., 
  and 
  bid 
  fair 
  to 
  make 
  

   ■ 
  a 
  clean 
  sweep, 
  until 
  its 
  natural 
  enemy 
  was 
  discovered 
  in 
  

   Australia 
  ; 
  and 
  Prof. 
  Eiley, 
  acting 
  with 
  that 
  promptitude 
  

   and 
  "cuteness" 
  which 
  is 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  our 
  

   American 
  cousins, 
  suggested 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  that 
  agents 
  should 
  be 
  sent 
  out 
  to 
  collect 
  this 
  

   natural 
  enemy, 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  lady-bird, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  the 
  

   Government 
  at 
  once 
  acquiesced 
  ; 
  no 
  time 
  was 
  lost 
  in 
  

   looking 
  out 
  "red 
  tape," 
  but 
  the 
  letter 
  of 
  submittal 
  was 
  

   made 
  out, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Koebele 
  started 
  on 
  his 
  journey 
  to 
  

   Australia, 
  "nothing 
  doubting" 
  or 
  wanting 
  either, 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  insect 
  for 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  sent 
  ; 
  no 
  

   such 
  thought 
  as, 
  " 
  It 
  can't 
  be 
  done," 
  " 
  It 
  isn't 
  practical," 
  

   &c., 
  ever 
  entered 
  his 
  mind, 
  but 
  he 
  went 
  on 
  and 
  on, 
  

   gradually 
  gaining 
  experience 
  and 
  obtaining 
  specimens, 
  

   which 
  he 
  quickly 
  sent 
  home; 
  these 
  were 
  as 
  quickly 
  

   placed 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  muslin 
  tent 
  covering 
  an 
  orange 
  tree 
  

   which 
  was 
  infested 
  with 
  the 
  scale, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  Vedalia 
  

   set 
  to 
  work 
  to 
  feed 
  and 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  ; 
  the 
  larva 
  soon 
  

   hatched, 
  and 
  commenced 
  feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  Icerya, 
  eating 
  

   and 
  breeding 
  so 
  fast 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  there 
  were 
  

   sufficient 
  beetles 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  the 
  poor 
  eaten-out 
  orange- 
  

   growers 
  coming 
  with 
  their 
  boxes, 
  &c., 
  to 
  carry 
  away 
  

   dozens 
  of 
  these 
  precious 
  "bugs" 
  to 
  transfer 
  to 
  their 
  

   orchards, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time 
  

   scarcely 
  an 
  Icerya 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  ! 
  

  

  Now 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  "Chamber 
  of 
  Agriculture," 
  no 
  

  

  