16 



BROWN APRICOT SCALE. 



Another insect which has forced itself to the attention of fruit growers in 

 certain counties is a large brown soft scale, yet unnamed, a species of Le- 

 canium, which I propose to call, popularly, the brown apricot scale, because 

 it is one of the few scales troubling this tree. It, however, also infests many 

 other kinds of trees, especially prunes, peaches, and pears. The young 

 appear from the eggs in Mayor June, and scatter all over the trees, settling 

 on the leaves, which become viscid and soon covered with black smut. 

 The whole tree suffers severely by the pores being clogged up, resulting in 

 small and inferior fruit. So small and transparent is the young scale that 

 it is hardly perceptible on the leaves, except through a magnifying glass. 

 They gradually increase in size, however, but not very materially before 

 the following spring, when with the rise of the sap their growth is enormous, 

 their soft, sticky bodies covering the branches completely. When detached 

 from the branches the numerous oval eggs are seen surrounded with a white 

 mealy powder. The young hatch in comparatively short time, and there 

 is only one brood in the season, other statements to the contrary. The 

 insect has spread rapidly in the prune districts of Santa Clara County, and 

 I have also seen it in Alameda County, although much less dangerous than 

 the pernicious scale. It is very troublesome to exterminate, and its appear- 

 ance in an orchard should cause thorough measures to be taken. This 

 scale is evidently a native of the State, having been found on oak trees, 

 from which it spread, and has proved itself well adapted to our fruit trees. 



REMEDY. 



This scale is hard to kill when most conspicuous in the spring; it is then 

 protected and the tree too tender to use strong remedies; it must be fought 

 either before or after this. In the winter it can be killed with remedies, 

 half the strength of which is necessary to kill the pernicious scale. A solu- 

 tion of one fourth pound of potash, one half pound of soda lye to four gallons 

 of water, to which one fourth pound of whale oil soap has been added to 

 each gallon of the solution. A strong solution of whale oil soap of one half 

 pound added to one gallon of water will also suffice, but most thorough 

 work is necessary, used early in the season immediately after the fruit has 

 been harvested. The following summer wash previously recommended is 

 of good service: One and one half pounds of sulphur, one pound of Amer- 

 ican concentrated lye or four fifths of a pound of powdered caustic soda, 

 ten pounds of best whale oil soap (80 per cent). Dissolve the lye in one 

 gallon of water; boil the sulphur until dissolved; dissolve the soap in water; 

 mix the two, and boil them for a short time; use at 130 degrees Fahrenheit 

 in vessel. 



CODLIN MOTH. 



The past season, unlike the previous one, proved exceedingly favorable 

 to the propagation of this pest; and more wormy fruit appears this season 

 than, perhaps, any previous one. The remedies for the moth have also 

 proved less effective; and in many instances spraying with arsenites proved 

 altogether ineffective. In most cases — except with early fruit only — one 

 spraying has done no good whatsoever. The reason of this is obviously 

 due to the wet weather in the early part of the summer, which removed 

 the arsenic and left the fruit unprotected. When two sprayings have been 

 made, especially after the rains, the good effect has been plain. 



