10 PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



from year to year no decrease in the cost, but rather an increase, so that 

 as long as the fruit-growers rely upon such remedies it is likely to be a 

 perpetual tax on the industry. If, however, we bend our energies in 

 the line of combating these pests by their natural enemies, very soon 

 all this loss and expense would disappear. In our experience we have 

 had ample proof that combating these noxious insects by their natural 

 enemies is the only method that can be relied upon to give us relief- 

 We have expended in this direction, in the first voyage of Albert 

 Koebele, $2,200, paid out of the appropriation of $50,000 by the United 

 States Congress to advance the American interests at the exhibition at 

 Melbourne. In Governor Markham's administration $5,000 was appro- 

 priated. In Governor Gage's administration $7,500 was appropriated. 

 In these expenditures of less than $15,000 during a period of thirteen 

 years (Report *1891, p. 290), many millions were saved to the fruit- 

 growers of California; also, through our experience an equal amount in 

 South Africa, Hawaii, and other places. 



As an incident the Hawaiian Government had such confidence in the 

 result of Mr. Koebele's researches, that they secured his services at more 

 than twice the salary paid to him while in the service of California. 

 Immediately on securing the $7,500 appropriation the State Board made 

 application to the Hawaiian Government to procure the services of Mr. 

 Koebele, and were told by that Government that California had not 

 money enough to get Mr. Koebele. The State Board employed Mr. 

 George Compere, and by exercising the greatest economy kept him 

 traveling nearly two years. During this period, eighty-five strong 

 colonies of scale and aphis destroyers were received and liberated in 

 seventeen counties. Among these was the smallest ladybird known, the 

 destroyer of the red spider, and fourteen colonies of internal parasites 

 of the black scale. Among the number was the parasite of the grass- 

 hopper, and probably the most important was the parasite of the red 

 scale, sent from China, and which we believe is permanently established 

 in Southern California. 



I will not, however, take further time in mentioning the particulars 

 of the results of Mr. Compere's searches, but refer you to the detailed 

 report of Alexander Craw, our quarantine officer, to be presented at this 

 meeting. Before leaving this subject, however, I will state that the 

 Australians were so interested in the work of Mr. Compere that he has 

 been made a member of the Board of Agriculture of West Australia, 

 and is working for that country on the same line of investigation as he 

 did for us. It is not remarkable that these countries mentioned — 

 Hawaii, Australia, and South Africa — have taken such a deep interest 

 in the search for parasitic insects to destroy fruit pests, but it is most 

 remarkable that California, having probably ten times the interest, 

 should not have kept up a permanent appropriation to continue so im- 



