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currant plants were mirehased eight years ago from a ISTew -Jersey 
nursery. In tne course of time Dr. Hedges noticed that the currant 
bnshes were dying from the effects of what he believes to have been a 
Scale insect. Most of his bnshes were therefore dug np, but this was 
long before the Scales were noticed on the pear trees. It appears to 
be highly improbable that the Scales were introduced on these currant 
bushes eight years ago because the whole orchard would no doubt have 
been infested long ago: and from the same reason the assumption that 
the Scale had been introduced with the original set of pear trees must 
be rejected. It is of course possible that the Scale came on the young 
trees bought at Augusta. Ga..or Crozet. Ya..but this assumption can 
not be proven. At auy rate it would appear that another mode of 
importation, viz. with California fruits, and more especially pears, is 
much more probable in this instauce than the importation with nursery 
stock. Dr. Hedges informed me that in the fruit stores of Charlottes- 
ville California pears are sold just as in other Eastern cities, and the 
newsboy on the Eichmond and Danville Railroad train told me that he 
had often California pears for sale. It is quite evident that specimens 
of this Scale are frequently brought with fruit, and more especially 
pears, from California to the Atlantic coast, although there is no record 
of this fact aud it is generally denied.* It is equally evident that the 
chances ot a rjermanent introduction of the Scale into the Atlantic 
States are very small : otherwise the insect would have made its appear- 
ance with us long ago and at many places. Nevertheless, its introduc- 
tion in this way is by no means impossible, and in the Charlottesville 
case several combinations were exceptionally favorable to such intro- 
duction. Dr. Hedges' orchard, which contains many pear trees of just 
such varieties as are the favorite food of the Aspidiotus. is situated 
close to a much-frequented highway from which the rejected parts of a 
pear can be easily thrown into the orchard. 
HABITS OF THE SCALE. 
The habits of the Scale are presumably the same as they are in Cali- 
fornia, the most striking feature being its tendency to infest only the 
extremities of the tree. On most trees excepting the Duchesse and 
Bartlett varieties. Scales are only on the fruit and on no other part of 
the tree but even in the worst affected varieties the top of the tree is 
much less infested than the lower branches. If the Scales are solitary 
on the pears the reddish ring which usually not always) surrounds 
each individual Scale forms a very conspicuous object. The large 
diameter of the ring contrasts strongly with the sinall size of the Scale 
itself which usually occupies a small depression. This last is too shal- 
low and indehnice to be seen but its existence becomes at once appar- 
ent if one attempts to remove the Scale with the linger. 
* S ales are often found in The caviry of the calyx of the fruit where they can not 
be Seen and from which place they can not "be removed by "brushing or nibbing. 
