72 
/Supplement (o the Tropical Agriculturist." [July 1, 1898. 
In Mexico I'lof. Towiiseiid lately found it bad 
on oranges and lime?. Tiiey will have to take 
care tliey don't get it in l'"lori(la, Louisiana and 
California on their Citrus trees." 
In Amerciaii greenhouse-* we liave known the 
inspect to badly infest plants belonging to tlie 
following fumilies : Verbeuaceic, Ldbiatic, 
Acanthuceic, Convolvulacetu, and Compositic, 
and have lieen known to sijread to Certiciie*, 
Lyihracciu, Ueraniiice;c, Malvaceic, Cnagracea', 
UoraginaceiC, Apecynaceie, Amarantluiceie, and 
Solanaceic. 
E. E. Gcecn states that it is "most accommo- 
dating in its tastes" in Ceylon, but prefers 
plants belonging to the Acuntiiiceje, llubiuce;e, 
and Verbenaceic, he found it on Coffee, which 
is a member of the second of the.*e familien. 
In Mexico and Tiinidad as mentioned above, 
it attacks Citrus fruils, member of tlu^ Aurau- 
traceic. This list of technical names is un- 
interesting to the general reader, we know, but it 
will serve to impress one that I lie insect is, 
as Mr. Green aptly ex])re-;ses it, " accommodat- 
ing in its tastes." 
TJiere is no telling how important a j)est 
Oithezia may turn out to be. Vi'e know of no 
place where it is a plague such as the Austra- 
lian Bug was with us a few years ago, but tiie 
Australian Bug has had "its duy," and it may 
well be that "the day" for Orthe/.ia is yet to 
come. It should be remembered that the Austra- 
lian Bug was known at the Cape in ISTS, 
now a quarter of a century ago; it di(l 
not become a pest of importance at once 
but spread with ever increasing nipidity for twenty 
years before the clima.v was reached. Nowhere 
■was it a piest of importance in 1873, but a dozen 
years later it threatened annihilnlion to orange 
}j(rowing in several parts of the world. The 
Orthezia has not more than reached the stage 
where the Australian Bug was in 1873. It has 
been known to science only ten years. But it has 
already spread to remote countries and given evi- 
dences cf great destructiveness. What may it 
do in the next decade !■' Give it a score of years 
and it may be as widespread arid destructive 
as the now prevalent Ked Scale, 
While the Orthezia does not deposit as many 
eggs as the Australian Bug, it probably has the 
advantage of one more brood in the cour.'e of the 
year — together circumstances which would ensure 
ns rapid increase as iu the case of the "Bug," 
•while at the same time tending to render the des- 
tructive attentions of predatory lady-birds less 
eradicative. It may be well to remark here that 
as yet we know nothing of the natural enemies 
of the Orthezia. The Australian Bug spread rap- 
idly through the country. The Orthezia is adapt- 
ed for an equally rapid dissemination, for the 
insect possesses evea greater power of locomotion 
and is just as easily transported with nursery 
stock. No other fcale iiiFcct tliat we know of is 
HO free moving, and although, if left cn'irely to 
its own locom otive powers, its spread would be 
slow, this tpreud would probably be much moro 
rapid than that of any other ecale insect under 
similar circumstances. 
Happily the ius-ect is one not diflicult of detect- 
ion on plants ; and gardeners and fruit growers 
wlio heed the oft-given advice to thorou;,'hly 
examine and clo in nil plants brought on to their 
premiscf, are not likely to become sufferers by it if 
their gardens ore at all gepaiated from their 
neigh hours'. 
Aiy Argument roB NoBStEY Legislation.— The 
discovery of the Orthezia was a mere accident. 
If infested jilants lia<l not been e.xliibiled nt the 
.Show, several yeais might have elapsed before 
attention was drawn to the pest. It miij now 
occur elsewhere in the Colony and haw already 
become thoroughly establi<hed for aught we know. 
The notorious 8jn Jose 8cale was <lis5eroiiinte<l 
from several most reputable American nuri-eries for 
fouror five years before the di-covery of theidentity 
of the insect was made; t hen many thousands of trees 
had become f^o iseriou>ly affected that they soon 
succumbed, and many hniidre'l.-i of orchards had 
become breeding grounds for this nio<t dHstrucliva 
of the armoured scale insects in states where even 
the name of the insect was previously unknown. 
JIany of the.ae states liave since secured nurtery 
inspection laws, the necessity for which had l«eeu 
learned by this i)itter experience. 
Nurseries in this country have played (lie mo.st 
important |>art in the distribution <^f destructive 
scale insects; and tliis rec^'gnized fact was the 
raimn d'vtre for the bill introduced in the last 
session of I'arliament calling for the regular in- 
.spection of our nurseries and the quarantine of 
infested stock* Such a measure wouhl jireclude 
the possibliiy of a pest like the present one 
remaining undiscovered. But as matters stand, 
not only must we remain at a loss ^\hat nur- 
series, if any, are disseminating the Orthezia, 
but we are even powerless to demand the des- 
truction of the insect at such places as wc may 
discover it. Hiipjiily tha florist on whof'e 
grounds we have found it, is willing to destroy the 
infected plants although he has a perfect leg.-il 
right to tell them. Our nursery inspection bill 
failed to become law last session, and it behoves 
fruit growers of the country to come forward 
and demand its adoption. 
In conclusion of this article it is almost needless 
to say that we are most anxious to learn from the 
readers of the Journal the occurrence of this 
insect anywhere in South Africa. If it is any- 
where found we would earnestly request that 
specimens be at once despatched to this office. 
CHAS. P. LOUNSBUEY, 
Govt, Entomolor/ist, 
