242 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



but its position is marked by a rose-colored prominence, as in the scale of the female; 

 the anterior part of the scale is much more convex than the posterior prolongation, 

 which is flattened. There is a rudimentary ventral scale in the form of two narrow 

 longitudinal plates, one on each side of the lower surface of the scale. Length, 1.25 

 mm. (.05 inch). 



REMEDIES. 



The habits of this scale resembles those of the San Jose and European fruit-scale as 

 well as the appearance and structure. All that has previously been said about remedies 

 for the San Jose scale will apply equally well to this one. Winter spraying with whale 

 oil soap or kerosene emulsion, or perhaps the kerosene and water mechanically mixed. 

 In the mechanical mixture the oil should be used at the rate of one part of oil to five 

 of water and the application should be made at first in a small way. See 

 a few pages back on "Remedies" for "The Apricot scale on plums." If the 

 emulsion is used, one part of the oil to six of water will prove sufficient. The 

 whale oil soap will be required at the rate of two pounds of soap to a gallon of water, 

 and the preparation should be applied hot. These strong sprays must be applied in the 

 winter time, as they invariably damage or kill trees if used while the foliage is on. A 

 weaker spray of emulsion or even the mechanical mixture has been successfully used 

 in the summer time when it became necessary to check the growth of the scales at that 

 time. Mr. Trine, State Inspector of Orchards and Nurseries, informs me that he has 

 often found it expedient to check the San Jose and the fruit-scales with a mechanical 

 mixture consisting of one part of oil to ten of water. 



It must be borne in mind that these mechanical mixtures are made by a special pump, 

 which takes oil from one tank and water from another, mixing them as they pass 

 through and not by any arrangement that can be used with an ordinary pump. 



CLOVER-ROOT MEALY-BUG ON SUGAR BEETS. 

 [Dactylopius trifolii Forbes.) 



Early in June, several specimens or sugar beets infested with a white mealy-bug, 

 were received from the Lansing Beet Sugar Co., having been sent in by the growers on 

 suspicion. They were first noticed when weeding began, being numerous in some fields 

 at that time. 



The insects are minute, snowy-white fellows, very much like lice in appearance, but 

 without wings and covered with a cottony secretion. They are generally so small as to 

 escape notice unless present in numbers. When first received they were only partially 

 grown. A little later, on June 28, a visit was made to the beet field of Mr. Schneeber- 

 ger, near Lansing. The stand was considerably below the average at that time, the 

 beets being very uneven in size throughout the field. On pulling up some of the smaller 

 and weaker beets, the mealy-bugs were found in small numbers, not being nearly so 

 plentiful as at the time of weeding, but by now fully grown and engaged in egg laying, 

 the eggs being pale yellow and laid in a nidus of cottony material. Later, on July 23, it 

 was not possible to find any of the insects although an examination of the field was 

 made. This was probably due to the fact that the beets had grown to quite a size, 

 increasing the area of feeding surface very greatly and making it difficult to search 

 thoroughly. 



The adult females collected on the 28th of June proved on examination to agree per- 

 fectly with the clover-root mealy-bug (Dactylopius trifolii Forbes),* and this opinion 

 was confirmed on learning that the field was in clover the year previous. It was impos- 

 sible to refer with certainty, any injury to the beets from this insect, although the 

 smaller, stunted roots were invariably the ones infested ; whether the insects helped to 

 stunt the beets or whether the stunted beets proved more to the needs of the mealy-bug, 

 is impossible to say. Quite likely the latter is the case since many coccidse thrive much 

 more vigorously on host-plants that for some reason are sickly. The beets in the field 

 visited, later took a start and made a good growth, although the field continued to 

 appear uneven. 



* Fourteenth Rep. State Entomologist of Illinois, 1884, by S. A. Forbes. 



