THIRTY-FOCKTH FRUIT-GROWERS COm^NTION. 



49 



ground very clearly, and for the sake of brevity I will just make a 

 resume. 



In the case of the apricot and plum tree, the status of parasitism is 

 \eT\ good. The Corny s fusca, in the Eiilecajiium (ODieniacum, has got 

 the pest under commercial control. In the peach and apple sections, 

 where the San Jose scale is. parasitism is commercially complete. In 

 the grain fields, something that we entirely overlooked, the status of 

 parasitism five years out of six is complete. The status of parasitism in 

 the great melon fields is arriving at a stage of commercial completion. 

 In the vegetable gardens, in the truck patches, and in the berry fields 

 parasitism is approaching approximately commercial control. 



Now, we get to the great citrus belt. The status of parasitism in tlie 

 citrus orchards, in my opinion, is this: "The United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Plant Industry, has proven 

 to you that to have your fruit carry well, and hence sell profitably, it 

 must come to the packing house clean. The citrus orchards of Southern 

 California to-day can not send the fruit to the packing house clean. 

 You can draw your own conclusions from that. 



Now, as to the desirability of introducing more of our insect friends. 

 In my opinion, that should be pursued diligently' under all circum- 

 stances. As ^Ir. Carnes told you in relation to the shipments frcmi 

 China to San Diego, he and I were intimately associated in the handling 

 of those, and he is correct Avhen he tells you that never did we see such 

 complete and thorough parasitism upon the red scale as occurred upon 

 the plants that came to us from China. We got the insects from those; 

 we propagated them; we liberated them under good conditions; actually 

 saw them ovipositing. All that human agency could do we did with 

 those small insects in San Diego County. Up to the present time we 

 Jiave not found any results there. However, that is no reason that we 

 should stop. Compere should have been kept right where he was, and 

 by every steamer vshould have sent us such material as that. If they 

 can accomplish that upon those plants in China, they can do it here; 

 and I say we should pursue that in every way, and continue to do it. 

 Gentlemen. I thank you. 



PARASITIC CONTROL OF INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



By prof. a. .T. cook, of Claremont. 



Since meeting with you before at Fresno I have been widely over 

 our own country, and over much of the finest parts of Europe, and I am 

 glad to bring these truths to your ears : For beauty of scenery, salubrity 

 and perfection of climate, for productivity of soil and cash returns in 

 agriculture, for superiority of its pomology, and for the skill and intel- 

 ligence of its orchard management, California is not surpassed by any 

 other section of the world. It is, then, more than duty — it is a grateful 

 privilege — to do aught that we may to better our condition and pros- 

 pects pomologically. 



It is estimated that the gross returns from our orchards alone reach 

 annually from sixty million dollars to seventy-five million dollars. Half 

 this comes from the citrus groves. The entire agriculture of the State 



4 FGC 



