LADYBIRDS TO THE RESCUE.
(To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sic,—Your 'critique on Life and its Maintenance in the Spectator of August 30th; 1919, recalls a personal experience of extirpating a pest by the introduction Of its natural enemy. At one time the very existence of my orange orchard in the northern part of New Zealand was threatened by a terrible scale (icerya) that had wrought great havoc in the Californian ' orchards. For three long years I fought it unsuccessfully. In spite of the most active 'measures), it was gatnisig the "tippet' hand, which was not surprising, as it infested every furze-bush and wattle-tree in tile neighbourhood and was attacking even the grasses. I was nearly at my wits' end when I got word that its natural enemy, VedaHa cardinalis, was to be found near Auckland. In response to an urgent wire I received five of the little ladybirds in a match-box. On releasing the minute atoms into space—they were smaller than a split pea—it struck me as a remarkable instance of faith, it seemed so Impossible for such tiny organisms to make any impression on the millions of big cottony scales that swarmed all over the country. In twelve months the ladybirds were to be seen flying everywhere. In three years the scale had to be diligently searched for and my trees were saved.-1 am, Sir, he., H. DOBBIN.
84 Market Road, Auckland, N.Z., November 12th, 1919.
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