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THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS^ CON'\'EXTIOX. 



But in the case of the yellow scale, it is more easily dislodged, and espe- 

 cially so in the presence of the parasite spoken of by Mr. Pease. If you 

 have that parasite, you v^-ill find at short intervals that the scales will 

 have become so parasitized that they will strip off easily. You can 

 take your thumb and move it across the surface' and you will get the 

 scale off on your thumb. 



Now, in the case of yellow scale of the orange, before it goes to the 

 packing liouse, this little chalcid fly has destroyed practically every one 

 of the yellow scales, so when it goes through any kind of a* brusher in 

 the house they will readily leave the fruit. Brushing never removes any 

 of the red scale. That always stays after it goes through the brusher 

 or washer. It is there to stay unless you kill it in some way. 



Lemons are picked every month or every three weeks, and it may be 

 that you can not always depend on the parasite removing the scale, so 

 in some cases it might become a serious pest on the lemon. But so far 

 as our district is concerned, we find vers' little of the yellow scale on the 

 lemon. 



Our orchards, as I said before, are producing as much in ever^* way 

 as any in the world. This shows that the yellow scale has not interfered 

 with the industry at all. so far as the orange is concerned. I don't 

 know that I ought to say any more. Perhaps I have said too much 

 already. 



PROFESSOR COOK. I am glad Mr. Carnes is here. I call upon 



him to discuss this subject. 



MR. CARNES. In the work of rearing these parasites we get 

 acquainted with them. This little fellow under discussion at the present 

 time is not the true parasite of the yellow scale. It is doing good work 

 on other things, yet at the same time it does not in a great many sections 

 thoroughly control the yellow scale, especially in the northern portion 

 of the State, as was spoken of by Mr. Pease. These little insects have 

 to be assisted. You have to stock the orchards and carry the parasites 

 back and forth to get them thoroughly established. In that way you 

 may expect to get results from them. When it comes to the direct ques- 

 tion of depending on the parasite instead of fimiigation for the yellow 

 scale' I would be governed largely by conditions. If your orchard is 

 badly infested with the yeUow scale so that the trees are being injured, 

 I myself would not wait for the parasite. In Riverside County I under- 

 stand the parasite has held it in control for the past ten or twelve years, 

 excepting in new sections which the parasite has not reached. In those 

 sections they fumigate, for the reason that it is not safe to wait. The 

 more food you have in an orchard for a parasite, the better it works. 

 If I had an orchard where it was absolutely covered with yeUow scale, 

 as bad as some of them are. it would appear to me to be foolish to vrait 

 for the insect pest. You can't afford to wait for the parasite. 



In the past, the work of parasitism has been largely exaggerated. 

 They are a great help, and we must figure upon them as a help until 

 we can find true parasites. 



In the case of the red scale parasite that we worked on last year — the 

 last introductions from China — I never saw any better work on red 

 scale. We took that to San Diego County and turned it lo se. 



