48 THE EEPOET OF THI^'i/i''* No. 36 



have not been ascertained yet. I do no not think that we have as yet found any 

 practical means of preventing in any way the injury from this insect to peaches. 

 In the matter of injury to asters, we found that when grown in the shade of 

 apple trees in old orchards, they would give the best results. 



Prof. Caesar : I think it would be- very interesting if we were to hear from 

 Prof. Brittain in regard to the Capsid attacking the apples down in Nova Scotia. 



Prof. Brittain : Last winter when I was going^ound the Province, overyborly 

 was asking me what caused ijhe woody pears. Some said it was due to the iron 

 in the soil or something or other wliich made their appearance woody, so that 

 when one tried to eat them it hurt one's teeth. I did not have the slightest idea 

 then what they meant, but this is what it was. These are pears that are affected 

 by a plant bug which has been determined as Lygus invitus, the False Tarnish 

 Plant Bug. They were extremely numerous in Nova Scotia this year, and caused 

 immense damage to apples and pears. In pear orchards the injury is more 

 conspicuous, because they cause quite a good sized corky area to appear on the 

 surface of the pears, and this corky area or hard woody area extends into the 

 pulp, and makes it unfit for eating as well as unsightly. When the pears are 

 first punctured, a little drop of exudate oozes out, and finally the injury becomes 

 larger and hard and woody, rendering the pears unfit for human consumption. 

 If the apples are attacked when small they invariably drop to the ground, but 

 if attacked a little later there is considerable malformation and the fruit is no 

 good. It also works on the tender growing shoots. "When the insect stings these 

 shoots and the growth takes place rapidly, it makes large marks. It is hard to 

 realize that it is possible for the marks to be caused by the puncture of so 

 small an insect. The marks are of such a size that they can quite easily be 

 photographed. In one orchard of which I am thinking they were very nimierous. 

 It was a particularly well-cared-for orchard, and the best sprayed orchard in 

 ;Nova Scotia, and the insects were so numerous that the leaves looKecl as if they 

 had been punctured full of holes. On looking it over, a careful examination showed 

 that the trees were literally swarming with nymphs of the Plant Bug, millions 

 on' every tree. Simply by standing near and pointing one's finger at the branch 

 or twig all the nymphs would come around to look at your fingfr, and when they 

 had sized you up, they would suddenly drop to the ground. The farmers never 

 suspected that there was anything like that present. There was only one man 

 who did, and he was a very careful observer. I heard one man giving directions 

 to a foreman not to kill the red bugs with black spots on the wings, because 

 they ate the bugs that were doing the damage, and on no account to disturb 

 them. He was referring to the nymphs of this Plant Bug. This insect is prac- 

 tically everywhere, and the farmers alV complain of woody pears. On one occasion 

 I knew of a negro who took an axe and cut down all the trees, because ,as he 

 said they all grew woody fruit and Avere no good. 



Prof. Lochhead: Have you noticed that these deformed apples may appear 

 on a single branch of a tree. I have come across some of these apples deformed 

 to various extents. Some are only slightly deformed and others badly. Some 

 being confined to a single branch. I could not find any bug and did not know 

 what to do. Those who knew most about botany said that it was a case of 

 Bitter Pit, while those who knew most about entomology said that it was some 

 Capsid. 



Prof. Brittain : I have seen these deformed apples on only certain branches, 

 but am in doubt in the case I have in mind whether this is really due to an 



