| Show INSECTS INJURE ORCHARD FRUIT agricultural inspector discusses control of fruit tree diseases probably the most serious of all the insects of the orchard Is the san jose scale for tora ait it will kill young trees in two or three years and old trees must be sprayed annually to keep it under control it Is readily detected on the fruit which becomes spotted with small red circles which orm around the scales but usually the fruit is not attacked attached until the tree is badly infested on the young twigs and along the veins ot of the leaves a similar discoloration appears around the scales the trunk and branches covered with scales have a rough grayish appearance as it if they were covered with lark dark ashes by scraping the surface the soft juicy yellowish insects will be revealed beneath the covering scales the scale itself is merely a waxy covering secreted by the insect beneath injury by this insect was first noticed near san jose california about 1880 about 1887 it was brought east on japanese plum trees secured by eastern nurseries and was distributed by them on young trees since then it has been spread on nursery trees to practically every state investigations made by C L Alar marlatt latt in 1901 showed that the insect is undoubtedly a native of east central china and was probably brought to this country on some ornamental plant CONTROL As yet no spray has been found tor for use in summer which will check the increase of the pest without injury to the tree the methods used tor for its control consists of 0 spraying the dir mant trees with washer which penetrate the scales and destroy the insects this may be done more effectively it if the trees are pru nned as it reduces the amount ot of surface to be covered badly infested trees should be sprayed in the early winter as soon as they have hardened up and again in the spring just as the buds are swelling the spring spraying will suffice for trees slightly infested every bit of the bark on the tree must be thoroughly wet so none will escape lime and sulphur mixture is the best spray for this purpose as it not only kills the scabs but also aides in the control of many fungus diseases and other insect eggs ggs kerosene or crude oil emus lion containing 20 to 25 per i cent of 0 oil was the first farsi remedy to be used and is still extensively employed in some sections the scale goes through the winter as a partly grown insect and begins feeding when the buds begin to burst in the spring in the latter part of april they have become full grown and the males emerge 19 fertilize the females the males emerge at night and are so small they are seldom seen about a month later the females commence to give birth io to live young and continue to do so for some six weeks the young insects are very small yellowish in color and resemble small mites miles the young insect moves about freely tor for from 12 to 36 hours and then thrusts its bea beak kAnto cinto the bark or fruit and it if the felmae temae does not move again white waxy filaments soon exude from over the body and in a few days the insect is by them and as they mat down a scale is formed the females lose eleb eye s legs and antennae tor for which they have no further use nourished by sap the insect developed dev elopes rapidly and is full grown in about a month so 6 5 or 6 generations are reared each growing season it has a remarkable power ot of reproduction to which the destructiveness ot of the pest is due it has been estimated at washington D C the progeny of a single female would number by fall it if all were to survive so if you only have a very few this spring by tall fall you stand a very good chance of 0 rearing considerable company for the ones that occur now and perhaps your fruit will be infested to such a point that it will be of the orchard trees most susceptible to this pest are the peach pear japanese plums apple and quince everybody make an effort to spray this spring as there are scale in a large per cent ot of the fruit growing area ot of box elder county I 1 will take up some other common pests in following issues of the county papers W W KNUDSON dist inspector |
