259 



Genus Aulacaspis. 

 (60.) Aulacaspis rosce, Bouche. (The Rose Scale.) 



Diagnosis — A small circular white female scale, with the exuviae 

 appearing as a light yellow spot on one side of the scale. Male scale 

 small and linear, tricarinated. 



Distribution. — Found at Flamstead, Jamaica by Dr. Hy. Strachan in 

 1892. It is a European species, also found on cultivated roses in the 

 United States, Australia, the Sandwich Is., and New Zealand. Mr. 

 Maskell also cites it as from China. 



Food-plants. — Various kinds of roses, also raspberry and blackberry. 



Destructiveness. — It may become troublesome on Garden roses. 



Parasites. — Arrhenophagus chionaspidis, a remarkable chalcidid, 

 has been bred from it in Missouri by Miss Murtfeldt. Aphelinus 

 diaspidis has been bred from it in Florida and California ; Aphycus brun- 

 n-us is another of its parasitizes in the United States. In Europe it is 

 parasitized by Coccophagus notatus (Coccobius notatus, Ratzeburg.) 



JAFFA ORANGE. 



The Jaffa Orange appears to be the favourite orange now in England 

 and the following quotation from a Foreign Office Report, " On Irriga- 

 tion and Orange- growing at Jaffa" (Misc. Series, No. 300, 1893) will be 

 interesting to many here. This variety has been introduced into the 

 Public Gardens both from Europe and Florida. 



" Jaffa, the chief town of the Caza of that name, owes its importance 

 to its climate, which is extremely favourable for Orange-growing. As 

 a natural consequence, this seaport is surrounded on the land side by 

 orange groves, covering an area of some 720 hectares (about 1,780 acres). 

 Jaffa oranges, thanks to their excellent flavour, have of late years ac- 

 quired a world-wide reputation, and while some 18 years ago this fruit 

 was known only to Beyrout, Alexandria and Constantinople, enormous 

 quantities of it are now exported to Europe, America and even to India 

 and its cultivation has consequently increased to a very considerable ex- 

 tent. A special feature of Jaffa oranges is that they will keep from 30 

 days to 40 days, and if properly packed, for two months, and even three 

 months. New orange groves are continually being laid out and now 

 number some 400, against 200 some 15 years ago. This, again, has- in- 

 fluenced the population of Jaffa, which now contains 42,000 inhabitants, 

 against 15,000 inhabitants some 12 years ago. The revenues have 

 doubled, and the vicinity of the custom-house is crowded with piles of 

 cases of oranges waiting shipment to all parts of the world. The Im- 

 perial Ottoman Government, with a view to encourage the export of 

 oranges, levies an export duty of only 1 per cent, on them, and the ex- 

 ports for the last few years have averaged 36,000 boxes per annum. 

 Owing principally to the trade in oranges, Jaffa now ranks next to 

 Beyrout in importance among Syrian coast towns." .... 



" Orange growing in Syria is conducted exclusively by natives. Each 

 orange garden contains some 2,000 square feet of planted area, equal to 

 about 1,300 trees to the hectare (= 2'471143 acres). The trees begin 

 to bear the fourth year after planting, but it is estimated that it takes 

 seven years, and sometimes eight years, before an orange orchard yields 

 % remunerative crop. During all this time, and even afterwards, the 



