SUMMER MEETING. 135 



Thursday, 8 p. m. 

 Music — Ivy Mandolin Club. 



KiUKWooi), Mo. , June 8. 1897. 

 Dear Mr. Goodman— As it was not possible for me to come to Springfield to the sum- 

 mer meeting. I do the next thing and send a contribution to the Insect discussion . I iiave 

 chosen a subject upon which most of my correspondents this spring have requested Infor- 

 mation. I hope It will prove interesting to the members of the State Horticultural Society . 

 I also send with this a little box of specimens, illustrative of the paper, With best 

 wishes for the success, horticulturally and socially, of the session, I remain. 



Yours slncerly, 



Mart E. Mdrtfeldt. 



PLANT-LICE AND THEIR ENEMIES. 



The most notable feature of insect development the present season 

 has been the almost unprecendented abundance of various species of 

 plant-lice. 



Scarcely had the leaves begun to unfold than orchardists were 

 dismayed at discovering the blossom buds of their apple trees dark and 

 " mossy " with the minute, but innumerable forms of the common apple 

 aphis (Aphis malij. So extensive and so virulent was the attack that 

 great apprehension was felt concerning the fruit crop for the year. 

 Spraying with kerosene emulsion, the standard remedy for most leaf- 

 feeding plant-lice, was practiced, in some instances with good results, 

 but in others, perhaps because of imperfect emulsification of the oil, 

 injury to the blossoms was reported. All sprays are detrimental on 

 the unfolding blossoms. The cool, moist weather, however, promoted 

 vigorous growth of the trees and the aphids scattered or diminished in 

 numbers and in most localities were found to have done no great 

 damage. At present except on young or recently transplanted trees 

 the lice are mostly contined to suckers and waterspronts which should 

 be cut off and burned or removed to a considerable distance from the 

 orchard and "dumped" in order that the carnivorous larva feeding on 

 the pests may have opportunity to develop. 



Following the apple aphis, certain black species, affecting the 

 cherry (Myzus cerasi), iho, i^\ii\n ( Aphis pruni), and others began to 

 excite apprehension. And certainly the trees attacked did, and still 

 do, present a most discouraging, not to say revolting spectacle, with a 

 majority of the growing points covered and the young leaves curled 

 and blackened by the myriads of the pests, that so crowd the under 



