30 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
That similar diseases have effected the insect world is an acknowledged 
fact; the first important work in this direction was done by Dr. Louis 
Pasteur, in 1870, when the silk worm of Europe was found to be dying, 
and the silk industry was threatend with destruction, he proved that the 
disease of the silk worm was due to a bacterium and suggested means 
for its destruction. 
Pasteur’s efforts, like those of the medical world, were to destroy the 
pernicious bacterium, which is quite the opposite of what is necessary in 
the insect world, as viewed by the orchidist, as the insects are a pest 
and therefore to be destroyed; hence the necessity- of propagating their 
diseases and disseminating them:to the fullest extent. 
In 1883 Prof. Forbes gave to the world an account of the work in 
his laboratory with the disease of the cabbage worm (Piero-rapae). 
In his account the Professor showed very clearly that a disease oc- 
curred among cabbage worms and that it could be destroyed artificially 
among these insects. 
In.the Northwest a disease for the chinch bug has been disseminated 
to the extent of cutting the injury of that insect down to almost nominal 
loss. 
As early as 1892 D. W. Cogquillett of the Division of Entomology, 
U. S. Dept. of Agri., reported as follows: A few weeks ago Mr. 
C. H. Richardson, of Pasadena, one of the county inspectors of fruit 
pests, showed me several pear trees in that locality which a year ago 
were very thickly infested with these scales [San Jose], as was evidenced 
by the gnarled appearance of the branches as well as by the dry scales 
still adhering to the trees. After a careful examination of these scales 
scarcely a live one could be found. Mr. Richardson assured me that 
the trees had not been treated with any kind of insecticide and they 
certainly gave no signs of such treatment. [he dead scales gave no 
signs of having been destroyed by lady birds, nor yet by internal para- 
sites. | Wishing to ascertain if this singular mortality was general in other 
localities, I examined several infested pear trees in this city, but found 
that the fruit and new growth upon them were thickly infested with 
scales, which were alive and to all appearance in a very thriving condi- 
tion. It would appear therefore, that the mortality among the San Jose 
Scales was entirely due to some low form of fungus growth. 
In 1897, the Florida Agricultural Station sent me several cultures and 
many specimens of a fungus disease (sphaerostilbe coccophila, Tul.) of 
the San Jose scale. These cultures as well as the diseased scale were 
very generally distributed throughout Southern California. Whether it 
was the result of the disease spoken of by Mr. Coquillett or of the im- 
ported disease from Florida or both, the fact remains that whereas ten 
years ago the San Jose scale was one of the worst pests on deciduous 
trees it is today practically unknown in Southern California. 
Diseases of the Red Scale have also been noted in Australia, as well 
as in the lower part of the State. Attempts to reproduce them and 
