MISSOURI YALLEV HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY REPORT. 131 



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are ofl'ered for a remedy that will eradicate them. Other countries in 

 Europe have been visited by them. 



Phyloxeria is purely an American invention, and one in which we 

 take very little pride. It doutless was carried to France from the 

 United States. Our American vines seem to resist it more than the 

 foreign vines. Until recently the Pacific Slope was exempt, but they 

 are there now, and promise to do great damage to the vines, as they 

 are largely of European origin. 



The insect of two forms — those of the leaf produce greenish red 

 or yellow galls, of various shapes and sizes. The other form is that 

 upon the root, which is by far the more destructive. The first appear 

 upon the rootlets, causing swellings. As the insects increase they pass 

 to the larger roots, soon the plants are so badly injured as to be useless 

 cr die from their attack. Tbe first notice we have of this insect is by 

 Dr. Fitch, in 185-1, in the '"Transactions of New York State Agricul- 

 tural Society." Early in June there appears upon the leaves small 

 globular cupsbaped galls. Upon opening these globes you will find 

 from one to four of these greenish red or possibly yellow lice with 

 many very minute eggs of about the same color. Sometimes these 

 galls become over- populated, and they pass out and soon form new 

 galls. Frequently as many as four or five hundred eggs may be found 

 in a single gall. There are many generations ot them in a season, and 

 as the leaves become old and less suculent, they leave their cells, 

 wander off^, enter the ground and feed upon the roots, where they sub- 

 sist upon the young rootlets, which soon become diseased and die. 



As soon as the plant is exhausted they pass off through the ground 

 in search of other food, which they soon find amid the interlacing of 

 adjoining plants. They remain in the ground torpid all winter, and 

 from their color — brown — are hard to discover. It is only the females 

 that have wings and can fly, and in this way migrate to other fields at 

 remote distances. As to remedies, there has as yet little been done to 

 check them. Bi-sulphide of carbon is said to be most efficient, being 

 very offensive and volatile it permeates the soil to a considerable dis- 

 tance and kills the insects without injury to the vine. Great care 

 should be taken to handle this substance, as it is very inflamable and 

 explosive. Holes are made about the plant and the substance is placed 

 therein. As myriads of them are known to crawl over the ground in 

 August and September, quick lime sprinkled over the ground is an 

 efficient remedy. Few insects as yet are found to prey upon them. 



Mrijor Ragan objected to s^ddling upon America the origin of Phy- 

 loxeria ; thought it came from France. 



Major Holsinger stoutly maintained the position taken in his 

 paper. 



