﻿SCALE 
  INSECTS 
  OF 
  IMPORTANCE 
  305 
  

  

  depends 
  largely 
  on 
  its 
  inconspicuousness 
  and 
  great 
  prolificacy. 
  So 
  

   marked 
  are 
  these 
  that 
  several 
  trees 
  may 
  be 
  literally 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  

   pest 
  before 
  the 
  owner 
  is 
  aware 
  of 
  its 
  presence, 
  and 
  this 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  his 
  

   being 
  on 
  the 
  watch 
  for 
  the 
  enemy. 
  

  

  Those 
  who 
  unfortunately 
  have 
  the 
  insect 
  on 
  their 
  'premises 
  find 
  that 
  it 
  

   is 
  a 
  difficult 
  pest 
  to 
  combat, 
  and 
  that 
  only 
  the 
  most 
  thorough 
  work 
  will 
  

   produce 
  the 
  desired 
  results. 
  Carefulness 
  to 
  avoid 
  this 
  scale 
  insect 
  and 
  a 
  

   strong 
  desire 
  to 
  learn 
  about 
  its 
  appearance 
  and 
  life 
  history, 
  are 
  ordinary 
  

   precautions 
  every 
  fruit-grower 
  should 
  take, 
  and 
  this 
  spirit 
  should 
  be 
  en- 
  

   couraged 
  wherever 
  found. 
  Ridiculing 
  such 
  precautions 
  in 
  an 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  make 
  hght 
  of 
  the 
  danger, 
  and 
  sensational 
  statements 
  regarding 
  the 
  

   destructiveness 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  are 
  both 
  to 
  be 
  deprecated. 
  Neither 
  the 
  

   nursery 
  nor 
  the 
  horticultural 
  interests 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  state 
  will 
  be 
  ruined 
  

   by 
  this 
  pest, 
  but 
  those 
  who 
  neglect 
  the 
  proper 
  precautions 
  may 
  suffer 
  

   considerable 
  loss. 
  The 
  ultimate 
  result 
  will 
  be 
  better 
  care 
  of 
  many 
  

   orchards 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  just 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  powers 
  for 
  good 
  or 
  evil 
  

   possessed 
  by 
  insects. 
  

  

  Destructiveness 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  state. 
  Continuous 
  fighting, 
  even 
  

   in 
  this 
  latitude, 
  is 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  practical 
  immunity 
  from 
  danger 
  in 
  places 
  

   where 
  the 
  scale 
  has 
  become 
  established. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  orchards 
  

   within 
  20 
  miles 
  of 
  Albany 
  where 
  this 
  pest 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  eight 
  to 
  

   10 
  years. 
  Some 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  outright, 
  others 
  ruined 
  and 
  many 
  

   seriously 
  dwarfed 
  and 
  stunted. 
  The 
  record 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  worse, 
  had 
  

   the 
  pest 
  not 
  been 
  fought, 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  

   much 
  better 
  if 
  recently 
  discovered 
  facts 
  had 
  been 
  accessible 
  earlier. 
  I 
  

   allude 
  m 
  particular 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  petroleum, 
  specially 
  of 
  the 
  mechanical 
  

   emulsion. 
  There 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  records 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  doing 
  Httle 
  

   damage 
  in 
  a 
  locality 
  till 
  some 
  eight 
  years 
  after 
  its 
  establishment, 
  and 
  then 
  

   suddenly 
  with 
  favoring 
  conditions 
  it 
  may 
  become 
  very 
  abundant 
  and 
  

   injurious. 
  The 
  possible 
  rapidity 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  scale 
  insect 
  may 
  increase 
  

   in 
  this 
  state 
  is 
  strikingly 
  shown 
  by 
  an 
  apple 
  twig 
  15 
  inches 
  long 
  of 
  1898 
  

   growth 
  which 
  on 
  receipt 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  season 
  was 
  nearly 
  covered 
  with 
  

   half-grown 
  scales. 
  That 
  is, 
  the 
  pest 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  rapidly 
  

   growing 
  tree, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  

   wood 
  was 
  nearly 
  covered 
  with 
  half- 
  grown 
  scale 
  insects. 
  G. 
  G. 
  Atwood, 
  

   now 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  inspection 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  

   r 
  epeatedly 
  noticed 
  that 
  this 
  pest 
  thrives 
  best 
  on 
  vigorous 
  trees. 
  

  

  Indications 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  scale. 
  This 
  scale 
  insect 
  is 
  

   so 
  minute 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  usually 
  escaped 
  the 
  observation 
  of 
  any 
  but 
  specially 
  

   trained 
  eyes 
  till 
  it 
  had 
  become 
  quite 
  abundant. 
  People 
  are 
  learning 
  what 
  

  

  