294 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A leaf hopper (Ormenis pruinosaj was remarkably abundant ia 

 vineyards, where it was popularly mistaken for " mealy bug," and 

 caused considerable blighting of leaves and twigs. An interesting para- 

 site, which attacks the full grown larvie and pupie, enclosing them with 

 itself in a convex dic*ik composed of two mica-like plates joined at the 

 edges, was bred from a number of the clusters and determined as an 

 undescribed Dryinns. This parasite is unfortunately rather rare. 



The Osage-orange Pyralid (Loxostege ninclurcv Eiiey) is spreading 

 over the State, its work being most disastrous on young hedges, the 

 growth of which it seriously checks. Sprajing with Paris green during 

 the mouths of June and July has been practiced to some extent in the 

 vicinity of St. Louis, and has been found a reliable remedy. But it is 

 so difficult to secure concerted effort in this direction that the increase 

 of the insect is not materially interrupted. Close clipping of hedges 

 about the 1st of August is also advisable, as at this time a majority of 

 the eggs and newly hatched larvre of the second brood are on the 

 leaves, and are, by this process, removed and burned. In the course 

 of a few minutes' examination of some clippings, I found many egg 

 masses and clusters of young larvne, and noted that during the re- 

 mainder of the season the worms were far less numerous than they had 

 been the previous year when the hedge had been trimmed earlier. 

 Pruning about this time may therefore be relied upon as an important 

 preventive measure. 



It is perhaps worthy of record that the large, formidable appearing 

 larvse of both CitJuronia regalis and Eacles imperialis were never before 

 so abundant in this locality as they were this autumn. They were 

 brought to me again and again as something very wonderful and from 

 appearances very dangerous. About the first of August a battered 

 female of imperialis was brought to me in a box, in which, in the course 

 of two or three days, she placed two hundred and seventy-five eggs. 

 These were subglobose, 4"*™ in diameter, of a cream-white color, streaked 

 or tinged with pale brown. The larvie hatched in seven dajs. As I 

 was about leaving home for several weeks the young larvse were placed 

 upon a small sycamore tree [Flatanus) and left to their fate. Upon my 

 return a careful examination resulted in the discovery of about a dozen 

 of the half grown larvae. They also disappeared, one by one, having 

 been, in all probability, devoured by birds. 



The Horn Fly. — The past season was notable for the invasion of the 

 State by this cattle pest, at least for its manifestation in such numbers 

 as to prove injurious to cattle and excite alarm among stock-growers. 

 The newspapers contained numerous references to it, many of them of 

 a sensational character, although the reality was in most instances quite 



