384 Insects ami Potato Foliage 



the Duke of York variety. They blotched and killed many of the young 

 leaflets and young shoots. 



Soon after the appearance of Capsids at Wisley a large market- 

 garden at Walton-on-Thames was visited. Here the foliage of a great 

 number of plants exhibited blotching in some form or another, but 

 the marks could not be attributed to the agency of insects nor fungi. 

 Capsids were observed only on the Eclipse and at this early date had 

 caused but little damage. 



Capsids were in abundance at Reading on July 3 among plants of 

 the Up-to-Date, and the foliage of several plants was badly blotched. 

 Varieties adjacent to the Up-to-Dates appeared to be quite free from 

 these insects. 



Capsids were occasionally abundant during June and July 1912 at 

 Wisley. Brown spots due to Capsids were especially noted on Arduthie 

 Early and a few plants of the Duke of York. 



Brown spots due to Capsids were observed on potatoes near Cobham 

 on July 15. 



Capsids were responsible for some of the damage observed at Barley 

 in July 1912. Many blotches had been recently caused by these insects, 

 other markings were secondary extensions from blotches formed prior 

 to the wet weather. Many young Capsids were found amongst the 

 plants in question. 



At Brentford the action of Capsids generally on potato and other 

 plants was followed during 1913 and 1914. In both years the same 

 sequence occurred: red currant (Fig. 11) was first heavily attacked and 

 the foliage very much destroyed during April — May ; then the Capsids 

 went to mallow, cherry (Fig. 12), some other weeds and potato (Fig. 13) ; 

 the potatoes developed quite normal signs of attack ; the bugs then went 

 to Jerusalem artichoke {Helianthemum). The life-history has not been 

 worked out in detail, but the sequence of young and adults suggests 

 three broods a year. 



The symptoms described above as produced by Lyqus and Calocoris 

 under control are easily discernible in the field and a little searching 

 reveals the nymph or imago of one of the common species. 



Field observations have been directed only to determining how far 

 these bugs are definitely associated with symptoms on potato foliage. 

 We think that the bugs deserve far more attention as general garden 

 pests and that far more damage is being done than is generally supposed. 

 This is, of course, no new observation. Theobald {Enf. Mo. Mag. 1896, 

 p. 60; Journ. Bd. Agric. London, 1909, p. 568) has drawn attention to 



