442 Scale Insects. 
The Woolly Aphis.—A louse of dark red color, occurring in 
groups, covered with a woolly substance which exudes from 
the bodies of the insects. In the engraving, a is the gall or 
swelling produced on the rootlets by their presence; b is the 
insect, showing the outgrowth of woolly matter; c is the winged 
female. The woolly aphis is an almost universal pest of the 
apple, though as shown by experience, some varieties are prac- 
tically exempt from it. As the pest lives both upon root and 
top, its annihilation is impossible, but it may be reduced so that 
the fruitfulness and vigor of the tree are not impaired. The use 
of wood ashes around the tree close to the trunk has been bene- 
ficial. Removing the earth from the root-crown and applying 
from two to five pounds of tobacco dust—a refuse from cigar 
factories—destroys the insects at this point and prolongs the 
effective life of the tree. The insect on the branches and twigs 
can be reduced by spraying with the summer washes soon to 
be given for scale insects, or the clusters of the insect can be 
touched with a swab dipped in kerosene, but the kerosene should 
not be allowed to spread upon the bark. Ladybirds often clear 
away the woolly aphis of the tree above ground. 
Much attention is now being given to trial of resistant roots 
and it is likely that such roots will be generally used here as 
in Australia. 
Scale Insects —This is a large group of pests which occa- 
sion greater loss and trouble to our fruit growers than all other 
pests combined. There are many species, and no orchard tree 
is exempt from the attacks of one or more of them, though some 
trees are apparently more popular with the pests than others. 
The fruit grower should study their life history and classification 
as laid down in the works on entomology. It will only be possi- 
ble in this connection to introduce a few engravings, by which 
some of the most prominent pests can be recognized, and to 
give some of the remedies which are now being most success- 
fully employed against them. 
San Jose Scale (Aspidiolus perniciosus).—This was formerly 
one of the worst and most widespread of the species of scales 
preying on deciduous fruit trees in California, but at present, 
owing to friendly insects which prey upon it, has become of 
minor importance, and, in fact, has practically disappeared from 
some regions where it was formerly most injurious. The work 
of this species is generally readily distinguished from other spe- 
cies of scale by the red blotches which are formed wherever it 
stings any part of the tree—either branch, leaf, or fruit. These 
red blotches are more pronounced in some varieties than in 
others. When the scales are present in large numbers, it causes 
a complete discoloration of the bark clear to the sap-wood. 
