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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1910)
SAN JOSE SCALE MOST INJURIOUS ORCHARD PEST In Addition to Extraction of Sap as Food Insects Puncturci Bark by Slender Sucking: Mouth Parts Causing Disease. C3a TJLACHAN7" Tbo old Indian turned his faco from tho camp flro and fixed his bead-black oyos on mluo. "Oulachan," I ro poatod. "Why do men call you Oulachan?" Ho turned his wrln hied face to tho flro again and wo sat awhile in sllonco. Thon, In the deep gutturals and Bbort, broken wordB of his native tongue, ho told me. "Many Bummors ago," ho said, "tho tedpoos of my father's tribe stood whero we sit tonight, Tho whlto man wan not hero then" ho pointed up the river toward Kelso "tho woods and tho open woro tho Indian's. Tho Indian hunted and flBhed and was happy. But whlto men came up tho big rlvor In canoes and they brought with them tho black death. Warriors, klootchmen, pappoosos, all nllko sick ened. Many died. When tho rain md tho winter camo, no deer meat, ho fish hung besldo tho tecpeos. For whon tho frost drovo the black death nway, tho hunters wero weak. They could not go to tho woods for deer, nnd tho salmon had passed on up tho llttlo river. Tho Indian was very hungry. Tho klootchmen and tho pappooses cried for meat. And when tho Indian was ready to fold his blan ket around him and Ho down to tho long sleep, the Great Spirit saw and Bent food. From tho north It camo, from under tho frozon water. Swim ming together. A long rope big many suns long. Many llttlo flsh swim mlng at tho bottom of tho big wa ter "tho Pacific "along tho bottom of the big river" tho Columbia. "They ame hero to tho mouth of tho llttlo river" ho pointed to tho Cowlitz flowing past us In tho darkness to tho Columbia "and hero thoy camo to tho top of tho water. My father saw UMOTI fBy A. U QUAINT ANCB, Bureau of Entomology U. S, Department of Agriculture) Tho San Joso or Chineso scale '(Aspldlotus porniclosuB ConiBtock in fects prnctlcally nil portions of its liOBt plants that nro abovo ground tho trunk, limbs, and branches and .when abundant. It may occur on the leaves and fruit Injury results from 'tho extraction, by tho scalo Insects, of tho juices of tho plant. At first this morely checks growth, but as tho in sects Increase in number tho speedy killing of tho branches and twigs fol lows, resulting finally In tho death of tho plants. In addition to tho oxtrno tlon, by tho scales, of sap as food, tho puncturing of tho bark by tho slondor sucking mouth-parts results In n dls cased and often pitted condition; tho Inner bark, or cambium, showing a 'reddish discoloration, as exposed In cutting with a knlfo, and tho bark it self may crack, In stono fruits exud ing drops or maBBos of gum. A red dening effect is also mUch in ovidenco ns red rlngB around tho scalos on tho hark, especially of tho applo and poar, and on tho fruits of theso plants, though not characteristic of any ono scalo spoclcs. On peach tho scales liavo a ton Uoncy to Infest to a greater cxtont tho older limbs and branches than tho newer growth, as tho wood 1 year old. On applo and pear, tho terminal twigB nro nulto gonorally Infested, nnd many of tho young may And tholr way which it may actually maintain Its lstenco. The San Jose scale, In the absenoe of proper treatmont, will quickly brlnf about tho death of most plants o economic Importance Ita discovery, therefore whother In orchards or o prized fruit trees nnd other plants la tho yard, Bhould call for prompt steps to offect its control. It has beon ara ply demonstrated that tho scale mayj bo very successfully controlled, and! practically its prosenco moroly re quires ono thorough treatment during! tho dormant period each year. Ob account of tho general distribution c4 tho post, extermination is in most) casos out of tho quostlon.. Whore plants nro thoroughly Is crusted, with consequent death of) branches nnd stunting of growth, ltl will generally bo advlsablo to dls outj tho troos nt onco and replace wltlw now ones. Previous to spraying IbV festod trees, tho doad nnd woakoneA wood should ho pruned out, which wllV simplify tho work of eprnylng and will hasten tho formation of new sound! wood. Thoro aro oovoral scale washes, which may bo employed in the control of tho insect, nnd the ono should b solected which can bo mostly conV vonlently used nnd whloh Is oconoml. cnl undor tho circumstances. Thus, for spraying on a largo scale the orJ chardlst could properly afford expen ditures for tho construction ot oooldn them nnd shouted, 'Oulachan.' HUnters and iklootchmen went Into tho water and caught tho oulachan with their hands. 'Oulachan,' thoy .shouted. They made potlach and wero filled. In that hour wns I born. My name Is Oulachan." The oulachan still runs In tho Cowlitz and overy year there Is a feast, but it is a feast for white men; tho Indian tribes have vanished from tho river. During tho early months of win ter Portland and all tho cities and townB within reach of tho fishing grounds look forward to tho ifeast. In the old days when Portland was tho only market fishermen scrambled for tho first of tho run. A wild raco of tho deep-laden boats up tho Columbia followed, and tho first boatload 10 reach tho market sold, smelt for Bllver, weight ifor weight. But since railroads and refrigerator fcars havo put smelt fishing on tho baslB of a practical Industry, tho first run of tho oulachan does not bring more than 20 cents tho pound In ,the northwestern retail marked, though tho very jflrst to arrlvo aro eagerly sought at prices Bomo what higher. Known commercially as the Columbia river ,smolt, tho king of pan flsh has several names. Ichthyologists classify It as thlolchthys paclflcus, of tho smelt family. Tho Indiana of tho Colum bia rlvor region knew it as oulachan and tho pio neer fishermen called it tho Eskimo candlo flsh. ,In shnpo it resomblos tho smelt of tho eastern states and Europe, but Its rich yet delicate and sweet flavor places It far abovo them In the esti mation of tho epicures. Indeed, enthusiasts Insist that aB a pan flsh it Is superior to trout of any ifelnd. For unnumbered years tho oulachan has mado itho Cowlitz river its spawning ground and of .courso tho Columbia river Indians woro tho first to uso It for food. During tho runs thoy caught tho flsh In vaBt quantities, drying and smoking 'them, and dried, actually used them for light In tholr teepees. For so much la tho oulachan In 011 that, with a strip of bark run through It, tho dried flsh will burn with a clear flame from noBO ito tall. In tho early months of tho northwestern win iter tho oulachan gathor In uncountnhlo millions at Bomo unknown spot In Boring sea and begin 'their southward swim. Always close to tho ocean 'bod, traveling In tho form of a monster rope mllos in length, thoy pass all tho rlvor and flord open ings nlong tho coast until tho mouth of tho Co lumbia Is reached. Then, so closely hugging tho river bottom that kill nets nro all but uboIobs, to roach them, thoy make for tho Cowlitz. A few miles up from tho mouth of that river thoy strlko tho shallower water, and como within cosy roach of the waiting flshermen. From Indian tlmoB until the groat catch of last season tho method of fishing has boon thoL same. A boat or n canoo to flsh from, and a dip net with "a long handle for fishing tackle, aro all that Is necessary. Ono does not oven nood tho dip net to ' catch a "moBB," for tho river Is literally allvo with ou lachan and chlldron oft en bail them out of tho water with tin canB, get ting half fish and half water. Whero tho wa ter Is shallow enough they can oven bo caught with tho haro hands, as their skin is not slimy whon In tho water. Tho run Is always heralded far down tho Columbia by flocks of eagles, gulls and hawks, following in tho wako of tho living ropo of flsh nnd picking up tho dead ns they como to tho surface. Then tho flsh ermen gather by hundreds In their boats along tho fishing grounds and feel nlong tho bottom with tho polo ends of their dip nets. Whon tho polo strikes the small, wriggling bodleB swim ming along tho river bottom In solid phalanx, It Is simply dip and fill, empty tho not Into tho boat, dip and All again, until tho boat can hold no raoro. There Is not much sport about It. It Is just about as exciting as clam digging and requires no moro skill. Quantity caught, and quickness In dipping one's boat full to tho gun wales of flapping llttlo flBh nro tho smelt fisher man's ldoals of sport. And during tho runs flsh ormon, fish eaters and oven tho eternally gob bling seagulls nllko becomo sated. When tho gulls nro at all hungry tho fishermen amuse themselves by tossing up smolt for tho gulls to catch In the nlr. A seagull on tho wing will grab a flHh by tho mlddlo or tall, toss and reverse It In nlr, and gulp It down head first in the wink of an eyo. Most of tho Ashing Is done at night. Daylight seems to scatter tho flsh, but oven In daytime during tho height of tho season tho fishermen keep at tholr work with good results. Ab a rule, there are two men to each boat and tho craft aro filled In an Incredibly short time. Ono night last season two Kelso men flllod a powor launch to Its capacity of 2,250 pounds In 45 minutes, or at tho rate of 50 pounds a minute, and catches of 10,000 pounds in ono day and night woro fro quent. While tho Cowlitz rlvor Is tho only constant spawning ground, tho oulachan has been known to run up tho Lewis and tho Sandy. At the tlmo of tho run up tho Lewis, 14 years ago, there was only a small run of malo flsh In tho Cowlitz, and tho fishermen mado tholr season's catch In tho Lewis. About onco In eight years there Is a run up tho Sandy, apparently Indopondont of tho Cowlitz run, as tho number In that rlvor Is not lessened. At tho tlmo of tho lnat run In tho Sandy a party of Portland men went out with dip nets. Ono man lost Ills dip net but found nn old, rusty, dlBcardod bird cage. He tlod It to tho end of a polo and scored an oqual catch with the others. During tho same run farmers drove their wngons Into tho stream, dipped them full of flsh and hauled load after load to tholr or chards to use as fertilizer. Pork Bold In tho Portland market some months lator had a dis tinctly fishy flavor nnd rovoalod tho fact thnt Bomo of tho thrifty agriculturists had fed smolt to tholr hogs, Last soaion tho Cowlitz rlvor wns the spawn ing ground of tho greatest run of smolt over known by flshrrmon who havo boon In tho busi ness over twenty years. At the senaon's closo tho river had y'elded over 10,000,000 pounds, or 5,000 tons of oulachan, and nB tho flsh avorago about eight to tho pound 80,000,000 of them wont tho way of tho market and, tho frying pan. Tho 'fishing grounds of tho Cowlitz aro prac tically tho only ones whero tho oulachan can bo caught In paying quantities. On tho Columbia sorno fow aro caught by gill nettors. But tho river Is deep and for tho most part tho flsh Bwlra beyond the reach of tho widest not Even whon caught thoy havo to bo picked ono by ono out of tho moflhes, so putting tho gill nctter out of competition with tho Cowlitz man and his greedy, long-handled dipper. Tho groundB extend but eight or ten miles In tho Cowlitz. Before Kelso wns on tho map tho boat location Is Bald to have boon directly opposite where the Northern Pa cific dopot now stands, but the growth of the town has driven tho flsh farther up and tho host catches aro now mado two miles nhove this point Between tho small floating docks of tho town and tho Ashing grounds boats ply day and night during tho runs, going upstream empty and re turning ladon with flBh. Over 500 boats aro em ployed In tho Industry, about 75 of them powor boats. It aeemB strange that tho oulachan, bo far superior to tho eastorn amolt haa novor reachod the eastern markets. Tho flsh aro packed In 50-pound boxes for shipment and tho earlier catches sell in tho wholcsalo markot at from $2.50 to $5.00 tho box; but In the height of tho senson tho ordinary fisherman gota only about $50 for 200 boxes 10,000 poundB. On tho rlvor aro sovoral men who buy at theso prlcos from other fishermen, maintain boats of their own and ship direct to retail markets. Portland has wholosalo buyers on tho ground, and probably tho greater part of the retail trado Is suppllod through them. At Kelso smolt havo boon shipped as far eaat as Wisconsin. Tho fishermen Bay that with cold storage facilities tho output could be greatly Increased. Canning In tho form of sardines has nover been tried, though in the opinion of exports tho flsh so treated would dls count tho Imported sardine. Tho markot Js usu nlly demoralized early In tho Ave months' sea' son by schoolboys, who go out, load up a few boats with ABh and becomo nn easy mark for buyers. Often, too, Greeks nnd Italians como up tho river in boats, stay a day or two and sell their Ash for whatever they can get, and tho mon regularly engaged in tho trado want to mako it a licensed one, on this account. Tho growing output of tho oulachnn would seem, on tho faco of It, to domand a Gilford Pin chot on tho Ash commission. But tho supply increases year after year with tho demand and apparently knows no limit. Last yoars run broke all records and tho Cowlitz smelt Ashor Is looking forward In happy conAdonco to tho coming wlntor, whon tho deops and shallowB of the streams will again bo Ailed with oulacbau. Sad Dlow. "Was sho overcomo by her husband's suddon death?" "Oh, yes, Sho had Just bought half a dozen now hall gowns." Birmingham Ago-IIorald. Soaring. "Sho married an old man who Is vory rich." "I went ono hotter on that. I mnrrlod a young aviator who is a millionaire Pelo Molo. Hard to Convince. Llttlo Tommy (oldest of tho fnmlly, at dinner) Mamma, why don't you help mo boforo Ethel? Mamma Louies must always como Arst. Tommy (triumphnntly) Thon why was I born boforo Ethel? TU-Ults. Parasite of San Jose Scale (Greatly Enlarged.) to tho fruit, settling principally in tho calyx nnd stem cavities. Most varie ties of fruit txoes wnfi plants infostcd from tho nursery, in tho absonco of treatmont, porhapB novor reach fruit ing condition. Peach trees will usu ally bo killed In two or throo aeasons, whllo pear or apple troos will main tain n foeblo exlstonro much longor. Thla Insect, on account of Its great similarity to certain othor species of pcalo lnsoctfl, may not bo positlvoly determined oxcopt by BpeciallstB. Tho sccurronco of diseased and dying branches showing cevoro scalo Infes tation furnishes strong presumptive evidence of tho prcaonco of this post, but spoclmons of Infested twigs should bo promptly submitted to a quallAod person for examination. Tho San Joso scalo Infests practic ally all deciduous fruit troos, such as Applo, pear, peach, plum, etc., and also many ornamental nnd shado troos. It Is, however, seriously doatructlvo to a much smallor number than that upon outfits for Hmo-Bulphur wash whlol would not bo Justified whore but a fen plants woro lnvolvod. For a fe plants it would bo hotter to uso sotn ono of tho propared washes put up bjA manufacturers. In fact, many larf4 orchardlsta prefer to uso sprays ot this class In proforonco to making the washes at homo. Tbo possibility o injury to tho troes from tho sprayi must nlso bo bornn In mind. All treatments, if possible, should be mndo during tho dormant period (thla Is to say, tn lato fall or early springy or oven during the winter In mild clfc mates). Some applo growers roly principally upon tho oil sprays, or uso thorn at least ovory other year, alternating with tho llmo-sulphur wash nnd in this way kcop tho scalo woll in check. Clean Out Weeds. Clean tho woods out ot tho fence corners beforo thoy go to Beed. WIRE FENCE ACROSS LAKE An excellent method of stretching a wire ncrosa a lako, or any othor body of water, to prevont cattle from getting beneath, Is to sot a post with an anchor on either sldo of tho wntor nnd Btrotch n wlro cablo across. Fasten tho cablo Armly to tho posts CULTIVATE THE SUMMER GARDEN Gurdcncrn Who FurnioU Lurze Citico With VgctibIco Kcop at It All Tlir.nuirh Growing Seaoon. (Jly W. J. THOMPSON.) Tho chances nro that you will an swer tho question, "How does your garden grow?" by saying your gar den grows ns woll as thoso of your neighbors. Tho chancos aro equally good that neither you nor your neigh bors mako your gardens grow as well ns they might. Tho truth Is that tho average farm garden Ib only given about one-fourth as much fertilizer as tho crops would put to good use This may seem like atrong talk, but It Is true Tho city markot gardener ubob fertilizer In n way that would mako a fnrmor anticipate bankruptcy In tho Immcdlnto futuro, yet city mar ket gardonors nro not tho kind of peo ple who wasto money. Tho quantity of fortlllzor which would bo onough nnd to spnro on an averngo farm crop Is Just a good be ginning for a truck patch. Gurdonors often put 100 tons ot stnblo manure on an ncro of land In Now Jirsny and nround CMrngo nnd and anchors. Hang tho fenco Jus, nhovo tho water on tho cablo wltl wiros fastened to tho cablo and to ton wlro of tho fence. Theso wires should be about ono rod apart. By weight tng down tho bottom of tho fence a fairly good Job would be dono. tho gnrdonor puts no moro than he thinks can bo used to ndvnntngo, Thlr feed of fertilizers Is ropontod yoni after year, too, on theso city gardens and often commercial fertilizers ar used during tho growing season, bo-, side tho stable manure Potor Henderson onco said that hli rulo in using stnblo manuro wns tc put on enough and then somo mora, and gnrdon crops will flourish undoi such feeding, too. Plant a tomato vino on top of n pile, of rotted stnblo manuro nnd watch it grow, if you do not hollevo this. Foi many generations our garden cropi havo been grown on soil which haa beon largely mndo up of manure and othor fertilizers and thoy havo ac quired nppotltos such as ordinary farm crops uover havo. Thoy are ovory ono gross feedors and thr. more, . wo feed them tho moro tender and tho largor tho plants grow. It Is now too Into to talk about plowing Into the soil but It la not toe Into to uso well rotted manuro or com morclul fertilizers on tho gardon crops. If manuro which has boon rob tor, Is scattered over tho surface ol tho gardon between tho plnnta and hoed In nn tho jrops aro cultivated it will becomo Immediately available, as tho rootlets qf tho plants will begin to fcoi on It as noon as it becomes damp and they will mnko wondorful prog ress In-growth If they have plonty ol this kind of feed.