370 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



young scales ma,y be easily missed. In case of badly infested trees, how- 

 ever, both the winter and spring treatment mar be given with excellent 

 effect. 



THE SCURFY BARK-LOUSE. 



Chionmjiis furfurus Fitch. 



Like the oyster-shell bark-louse this species occasionally becomes suffi- 

 ciently abundant to do serious injury. We have seen it in the nursery as 

 often as the other species and have found it doing very serious injury 

 in at least one large pear orchard in the state. 



History. — Although this species is less frequently mentioned in the 

 writings of early American entomologists it was well known at an early 

 date as an injurious species. B. I). Walsh and other writers on American 

 entomology mentioned it as early as 18G0. Since that time it has been 

 frequently mentioned by American writers. 



Present distribution. — According to Dr. Howard* this species is now 

 known to occur in the District of Columbia, and twenty states, including 

 Massachusetts on the east, Georgia on the south and southern California 

 on the west. The same writer also states that it has been recently 

 reported in England. It is undoubtedly widely distributed in this state. 

 Up to this date we have received specimens from Erie, Niagara, Monroe, 

 Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Schuyler, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Columbia, 

 Queens and Suffolk counties. 



Food plants — The most common food plants for the scurfy bark-louse 

 are apple and pear. In the nurseries we have found it more abundant 

 on pear trees than on any other stock. In one instance nearly all the 

 trees in a small block of standard pears w^ere very badly infested, a 

 majority of them being seriously injured. We have found it upon apple, 

 pear, crab api^le and quince. In addition to these food plants Dr. How- 

 ardf gives black cherry, choke cherry, currant, mountain ash, Japan 

 quince and peach, the last named having been sent from two localities in 

 Georgia. 



Descriptions and life history. — The general appearance of the mature 

 female scales is shown in Plate I, fig. 4, which is from a x'hotograph of an 

 infested pear twig. They are dirty white in color. The life history of 

 this species is very similar to that of the oyster-shell bark-louse. The 

 eggs are found under the scales during the winter, but usually in less 

 numbers than in the preceding species; also instead of being cream white, 

 they are purplish red. The young scales hatch in the spring at about the 

 time the young oyster-shell bark-lice appear, which they resemble very 

 closely. The male scales are much larger than the female scales and. 

 unlike them, are brilliant white. They are also quite different in shape, 

 the sides being nearly parallel with two longitudinal ridges extending 

 along the ux>per surface. 



Means of distribution. — This insect is distributed hj means of infested 

 nursery stock in the same manner as the preceding species. Owing to 

 their lighter color, however, they are more easily seen and hence there is 

 less excuse for sending out infested stock. 



Remedial measures. — The treatment recommended for the oyster-shell 

 bark-louse will prove equally effective for this insect. 



*Year Book U. S. Dept. Agr. 1894, p. 259. 

 1 Year Book U. S. Dept. Agr. 1894, p. 260. 



