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OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



flying-fox and four others that afterward came from China, were treated 

 with sufficient chloroform to stop all further desire on their part for such 

 toothsome food as ripe fruit. The owners, of course, tried to prevent 

 such summary disposal of their bats. 



Japan, like Australia, has furnished us with several pests that have 

 caused orchardists to expend large sums of money in keeping their trees 

 in a healthy condition. Besides the citrus "snow scale " (Chionaspis 

 citri), a very serious small white-armored scale (Diaspis amygdali) is 

 altogether too frequently found upon trees and plants from that country. 

 This is a pest we can take no chances with, owing to the fact that the 

 best known tree washes of treble strength will only kill seven per cent 

 of them. Orchardists will understand that very few fruit trees will 

 stand such a strength, and the result of such an application is almost 

 as destructive to the trees as the scale. We have found this scale upon 

 the following trees and plants, which were destroyed. I will give the 

 names of thelrees in the order, as to the extent, in which we have found 

 them to be infested: Cherry, plum, peach, persimmon, tea bushes, and 

 walnut, besides "sago palms" (Cycas revoluta) and a variety of other 

 ornamental plants. The Japanese are experts in the manufacture of 

 artificial cherry blossoms, and to add to the deception they use fresh 

 cherry twigs, upon- which we sometimes find live scale. The only danger, 

 of course, from such imports would be the use of the artificial flowers 

 with decorative plants that could be infested in this way. 



The legal fight against the importation of 325,000 orange trees from 

 Tahiti that were landed at San Pedro is well known. The " mining 

 scales" (Howardia biclavis) infesting those trees withstood five fumiga- 

 tions with hydrocyanic acid gas; also two treatments by dipping in 

 strong insecticide, and the trees were finally ordered by the Superior 

 Court of Los Angeles County to be burned.. It would be impossible to 

 destroy this pest if it ever obtained a foothold in the orchards of this 

 State. We have destroyed trees and plants from Southern Mexico that 

 were infested with this scale. 



A San Jose gentleman, who has a coffee plantation at Soconusco, 

 Mexico, near the border of Guatemala, arrived by steamer in San 

 Francisco and brought a bundle of cuttings of "cape jasmine" (Gar- 

 denia florida) . Upon examination I found these cuttings to be infested 

 with the "mining scale." He brought them to propagate in San Jose 

 in order to raise more plants, as he was afraid his large bush was going 

 to die. The cause of the plants' sickly condition was pointed out to him 

 and his cuttings were burned. 



A tea- grower in Ceylon wrote and forwarded a dry sample of a twig 

 from one of his tea bushes. We found it badly infested with the "mining 

 scale." He reported that half of his plantation was attacked by this 

 scale and the yield of tea was reduced in that portion over half. Two 



