Show PRECIOUS BUGS how they saved the orange tr 0 southern orange growers in the san gabriel and san bernardino valley tell an interesting te story of how they destroyed a pest which threatened the destruction of the industry in this country A fow years ago ane trees were attacked by an insect known as scale so rapidly did the pest propagate that within a few weeks the bark of the trees was white with them drastic remedies were applied but without avail so serious was the outlook that many of the growers were on the point of cutting down their immense groves one day a young man suggested a novel plan for the speedy extermination of the pest he said that there existed in australia a species of lady bug which existed on insects that cling to trees lie received a consignment of thirty eight of these bugs by the next steamer one grower who had ten thousand trees and probably one hundred thousand million scale on all of them bought eight of the precious bugs and placed them to the best advantage in his orchard he tells this story three days after I 1 made the experiment I 1 went into the grove the trees were as white as ever with the pest I 1 told my friend that I 1 thought his lady bugs a failure he advised me to be patient for he said it was likely that the bugs were breeding before making their onslaught on the scale three days later I 1 again visited the orchard and found the trees as clean as a whistle not one of the insects was visible neither were the lady bugs having finished their work they flew away and I 1 have not seen them since more bugs were released in other orchards and in the course of a month there was not an orange tree in the valley by the pest we now keep a stock of the bugs in hand so tha t in case the scale returns well be ready to fight it again the bugs sell for twenty five dollars apiece but they are worth that money and more too for they have saved every orange tree in the country |