LEMON PESTS 1237 
The wither-tip fungus is one of the 
commonest inhabitants of our citrus 
trees. Every dead twig, every fallen leaf, 
every leaf or twig injured by fire or any 
other cause, immediately becomes cov- 
ered with a flourishing growth of this 
fungus. Young lemons which fall to the 
ground from any cause show the same 
fungus upon them after a short time. It 
has even been found that the most 
healthy green leaves, if picked from the 
tree and placed in a moist chamber, soon 
become covered with this wither-tip fun- 
gus. Trees suffering from gum disease, 
gophers, drouth or any other influence 
which causes them to lose their vitality 
and begin to weaken and die back in the 
branches, soon develop an abundance of 
this organism. It is also likely that cit- 
rus insects, like the red spider and any 
other which punctures or injures the 
fruit, may promote the development of 
this fungus. 
All in all, our conclusion has been that 
it is extremely doubtful whether the 
wither-tip fungus ever attacks sound, un- 
injured, vigorous foliage, twigs or fruit, 
or develops at all, save in a secondary 
manner or following some other injury. 
R. E. SMITH, 
Califoinia Experiment Station Bulletin 218. 
LEMON PESTS 
Chaff Seale 
Pariatoria pergandi, Comst 
General Appearance 
Small, circular, elongated, irregular 
scales with first exuviae near the side. 
Male scales are decidedly longer than 
broad. The color is a light gray. 
Life History 
Quite a prolific species which does not 
spread very rapidly. The breeding con- 
tinues through the summer and fall 
months and the broods overlap as in the 
other armored scales. The trunk, large 
and small limbs, foliage and fruits are 
attacked. 
Distribution 
This species is limited to a few locali- 
ties in California, having been imported 
from Florida. 
Food Piants 
Orange, lemon, Japonica sp. All parts 
of the plants and the fruits are attacked. 
Control 
Fumigation with full schedule No. 1. 
This is not a very difficult pest to com- 
bat. E. O. Essie 
Citrus or Greenhouse Mealy Bug 
Pseudococcus citri Risso 
General Appearance 
Small mealy-coated soft-bodied insects, 
from one-fourth to three-eighths inches 
long and two-thirds as wide. They are 
specially characterized by a large amount 
of white waxy secretion covering the 
bodies. There are no perceptible wax 
tails or appendages. 
Life History 
The eggs are deposited in loose cottony 
masses by the females upon the food 
plants, mostly during the late fall and 
winter months. The young upon hatch- 
ing move about very freely seeking suit- 
able feeding places upon the tender fo- 
liage or young fruit. The females con- 
tinue to move at will throughout their 
existence, but the young males soon spin 
a small white cocoon in which to pupate. 
Transformation requires but a _ short 
time, the two-winged males emerging 
when the females are about half grown. 
After copulation the males die and the 
females continue to develop for some 
weeks or months before egg-laying be- 
gins. 
During the spring months the young 
are to be found in great numbers, but 
by summer they have so hidden them- 
selves as to give the general impression 
that the pest leaves the trees during 
that period. In the fall the adults begin 
to deposit the large masses of eggs which 
make them more conspicuous. The en- 
tire strength of the female is converted 
into eggs, only the shriveled and dry skin 
remaining after all have been deposited. 
The insect naturally hibernates during 
the winter in the egg state, but due to 
the uneven hatching caused by the warm 
weather in southern latitudes, practically 
all stages of the young and the adult 
