If 
o< MONTHLY. lx> 
Vol. XIV.] 
COLOMBO, FEBRUARY ist, 1895. 
[No. 8. 
FRUIT GROWING AND SCALE INSECTS 
IN CALIFORNIA. 
Autumn Meeting proceedings of the Pomological Society. 
Injurious and Beneficial Insects. 
HE Autumn meeting of the 
S. C. Pomokgicai Society held 
in Pomona on Thursday and 
Friday, November 15 and 16, 
1S91, was one of the most 
inter sting and best attended 
in [the history of that organi- 
zation. Pum-na, however, always turns out a good 
attendance whenever the sir ject of scientific and 
practical horticulture comes up for consideration 
in a public way. No other single community in 
Southern California has shown a wider inte est or 
a keener appiecintion of the importance of stimu- 
lating and developing our i ural industries iu all 
diiections. 
The meeting was calJed to order at 9-30 o'clock 
on tho morning of the opening day with President 
L. M. Holt in the chair. Prof. Calvin Esterly made 
the address of welcome in a few brief remarks, to 
which President Holt responded. 
The first paper on the program was the report of 
Prof. A. J. Cook, entomologist cf the Society. 
REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Mr. President, Ladits and Gentlemen: I take this 
first opportunity to thank you for the honor you 
conferred upon me at your last meeting in selecting 
ni3 as your entoiiiohgi t. I g'adly accept the work. 
I am hearti y inter* sttd in entomology as a science, 
a> d especially iu all its < conoinic pi ases, and there- 
fore am happy to pledge you all the labor and 
investigation that my lime will permit. I shall be 
glad to receive und > amc any insects that you may 
find, and sha 1 bo happy and willing to give all 
possible informal! on resp cting them. 
Pollination, — At your Pasadena meeting I reported 
upon a serios of experiments then in progress re- 
garding pollin tiou by insects of various frui s. As 
staled then, I ascertained, by coveiing twigs with 
cither cheeso cl <th or paper bags, that two vaiiclies 
of iilums, one of which is the Kelsey; ono of cherries, 
variety u known, and tho Bartlett pear, were entirely 
infertile to their own pollen, while the Royal apricot 
was tutiivly foitio to its owu pollen Since that 
tinio I have peri jimod like experiments with olives. 
oranges and lemons. Several of my students als° 
madi similar investigations in relation to pollinatio 11 
of the orange, and with the same results that I 
obtained. In our experiments with the orange, th e 
flowers were all emasculated before they had opened 
by cutting off all the stamens. When the glistening 
waxy appeaiance of the stigma showed that it wa 3 
ripe or ready for the pollen, pollen was applied from 
flowers of the same tree, from those of other trees 
of the same variety, and from those of other varieties. 
To my great surprise the Washington Navel s ems 
entirely fertile to its own pollen. From its fragrance 
I expected it would be wholly sterile to even navel 
pollen of other trees. While seedlings and Mediter- 
ranean Sweets, lemons, and all tin several kinds 
of olives which I experimented with, are not wholly 
sterile with their own pollen, though one lemon 
gave no fruit at all, they are much more productive 
if cross-pollinated. I covered many twigs of Mission 
and several other varieties of olive, and while all 
but two set some fruit, the product in every case 
was only ab'ont one-third the amount which set on 
the check branches close along side. I think we 
may assert positively that while olive trees will bear 
without cross-pollination or aid from nectar-loving 
iis ; ets, that we can never secure full fruitage or 
even one-half a crop withont cross pollination, per- 
formed artificially or through the aid of insects. 
The experiments of the sfason prove conclusively 
that the presence of the paper or cheese cloth covers 
of themselves are no bar to fruitage. In every case 
of covered twigs where the fruit was artificial'y or 
hand-pollinated, or where the sacks were removed 
for a short time to permit the visits of bees, or 
where bees were caught and put into the sacks, 
fruit was secured. 
I b lieve the e experiments are conclusive and need 
no repetition. 
They show U3 that much of our fruit, especially 
plum* 5 , cherries and pears, are utter y depoudent upon 
inse' t? for pollination, and that while bees are not 
absolutely required, they alone can be depended upon 
to perform this important service. They also show 
that some of our fruit, notably olivos, lemons, and 
some vaiieties of pears and oranges, while not wholly 
sterile to their own pollen are largely so, and will 
only bear fil l crops when cross-pollinated. They 
s' ow just as conclusively that some fruits, like tho 
Rival ap icot and navel orange, are entirely fertile 
with their own pollen. 
As I show d at the last meeting, there are many 
insects aside fr m bees, that effect cross-pollination 
of our fruits. But as we have all observed, through 
unfavorable seasonal peculiarities, or from tbo nioro 
serious attacks of birds, lizard 3 , or prodacoous and 
parasitic insects, there often como years whou iu5ec;s, 
