THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 207 



attacking peas in Northern Ohio. He stated further that Oiior/iyncus 

 ovaius was found feeding upon the foliage of musk melons. 



A paper on "Two Serious Pear-tree Pests" was read by M. V. 

 Slingerland, of Cornell University. 



I The Pear-tree Psylla ( Psylla pyricola). — This insect is described 

 as one of the most serious pests that pear growers have to fear. It had 

 appeared in the valley of the Hudson in enormous numbers during 1891, 

 orchards which had given promise of 1,200 barrels of fruit having perfected 

 less than one hundred barrels. The Pear-tree Psylla, when mature, 

 is scarcely 3 mm. in length, and shaped like a miniature Cicada. The 

 nymphs are oval and very flat, and produce a great deal of honey-dew, 

 which renders the trees unsightly. There are three and perhaps four 

 broods in the year, and it is in the perfect state that the insect hibernates. 

 As a remedy Mr. Slingerland had found that the nymphs were easily 

 destroyed by a very weak kerosene emulsion (two per cent.) Washing 

 the trees in winter to destroy the adults was also recommended. 



2. The Pear-leaf Blister mite ( Phytoptiis pyri), was alarmingly on 

 the increase in the United States and Canada. It is a very small mite, 

 which hibernates beneath the bud scales of the pear tree, and comes out 

 when the leaves expand in spring and forms blister-like galls on the 

 foliage. Spraying the trees during the winter with kerosene emulsion had 

 been found successful. 



Prof Lintner stated that F. pyri was very abundant in Eastern New 

 York. 



Prof. F. M. Webster had also found it abundant in Ohio. Spraying 

 with Bordeaux, mixture had shown no effects in reducing the leaf-blisters. 



Prof J. B. Smith had found that in orchards sprayed with the 

 ammoniacal solution of carbonate of copper, mixed with London purple, 

 the pest was perceptibly lessened. 



Mr. Southwick read a paper w^oxi Depressaria heracleana, the Parsnip 

 web worm, and gave an interesting account of the war waged upon it by 

 the " Potter Wasp ", Eiunmes fraterna, and stated that he had bred from 

 it a Hymenopterous parasite, a species oi Limneria. 



Mr. Howard read a paper, " An Experiment against Mosquitoes," 

 which was listened to with great interest. A small quantity of coal oil 

 was distributed over the surface of a small mountain lake, and enormous 

 numbers of the larvge and perfect insects were destroyed. 



