Timely Hints for Farmers 267 



The Arizona Strawberry-louse (scientifically called Myzm 

 fragafolit) is a pest of strawberry plants at Jerome and otheT 

 places, and is quite destructive. It is very pale yellowish ot 

 greenish ; the wingless forms, examined with a microscope or 

 strong lens, are seen to have many knobbed hairs on the body 

 This plant louse swarms in great numbers on the leaves and 

 stems, and even invades the blossoms, with the result that the 

 fruit is defective. At present it has been found only on the cul- 

 tivated strawberry; we have kept it in the laboratory on this 

 plant, and have found that it will also live upon the wild straw 

 berry of the mountains, but it refuses to attack beans or violets 

 which are growing in the same box. This experiment indicates 

 that it will probably feed only on the strawberry and its nearest 

 allies ; a fact of some importance, because if it should live on 

 weeds near the strawberry beds, the difficulty of getting rid of it 

 would be greatly increased. 



In fighting this insect, it is of great importance to secure 

 clean plants, and plant them where no infested strawberries have 

 been. It may be w r ell to give an infested field over to some other 

 crop, and plant fresh strawberries in another part of the ranch 

 The plants about to be put in should be carefully examined, and 

 it will be well to dip them in diluted kerosene emulsion or fumi- 

 gate them with hydrocyanic acid gas. The ground which was 

 infested should be plowed deeply. 



T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Consulting Entomologist 



SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING DATE CULTURE 

 No. 26, January 15. 



Dates being now grown in several parts of the Territory, and 

 definite information as to their culture being lacking, it is deemed 

 wise to furnish present and prospective growers with brief sugges- 

 tions along this line. Letters received from various parts of Ari- 

 zona and elsewhere indicate a growing demand for information 

 relative to the culture of this fruit 



