130 STATE HORTICULTURAL, SOCIETY. 



Answer: This is a little creature that passes the winter in the cracks 

 of the bark and in the creases around the bud scales. When we used 

 the old home-made lime-sulphur with the sludge we did not hear any- 

 thing about this pest, for the pest winters in the cracks that are covered 

 with lime and sulphur, especially if there is body to the mixture. The 

 oxygen is taken out of the cavity, and the insect dies because he can- 

 not get more oxygen. The blister-mite is killed in the same way — tlie 

 thing is driven into a hole and the hole is plugged. If you cannot get 

 them with a strong winter spray, then just after the eggs hatch in 

 the spring, use Black-leaf 40, or kerosene emulsion. 



Question : I would like an answer to question No. 4, ''Nicotine is so 

 exnensive — is there anything cheaper?" 



Answer: While we can go back to kerosene-emulsion, we do not like 

 to make it — it is miserable stuff to make and disagreeable in more 

 ways than one. I do not know of anything better or cheaper or safer 

 than nicotine. 



Question : A few years ago you thought the lime-sulphur with sludge 

 was effective on the eggs of aphids — do you use it now, or advocate it? 



Answer: We used it and I doped twig after twig in that home- 

 made stTiff when warm, and full of sludge; only a few of the eggs 

 hatched — although some of them did. We have stopped using it over 

 the State so that we are not getting any more data on that. I wish 

 we could come back to the home-made stuff — I am sure if we did, we 

 would reduce the difficulty with aphids. 



Question : What about the reports of the control of peach borers 

 with lime-sulphur — what do you know about it? 



Answer: T haven't seen any good results from it. 



Question: How about the red bug? 



Answer: It is still on the job. There is still some difficulty in dis- 

 tinguishing between the work of the aphids and that of the red-bug until 

 one gets familiar with both of them. The work of the apple curculio 

 may be confused with tliat of the red-bug also. Mr. Wooden of the 

 College department of Entomology found the apple curculio for the 

 first time in Michigan only recently. 



Question. Is it necessary to spend the money always to make the 

 first spray for aphis. 



Answer: I would not do so always. I have never recommended a 

 spray every year. Some years we should use the spray and some years 

 not. The years when we have cool, wet springs, are the years when 

 thev do the most damage. In ordinary years the apple plant-lice are 

 held in check bv parasites. The parasites refuse to do business until 

 it gets warm. If you have a cold backward spring the lice will go on 

 multiplying nnd the parasites will not catch up until too late. 



Question: Is it then a nuestion of the weather or of the parasites? 

 In other words, is the weather responsible for the killing of the aphis? 



Answer: The weather controls the parasites. 



Question: What can you tell us about the wooley aphis? 



Answer: The only new fact about the wooley aphis is the discovery 

 that it is the same louse that curls the leaves of elm trees. I do not 

 know of any use that you can make of this information. You do not 



