374 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. x, no. s 



In 1913 Britton (5) published a' short note stating that, while inspect- 

 ing nursery stock at a florist's in Bridgeport, Conn., the species was 

 found on chrysanthemums which had dropped and on which the petals 

 had withered and died. In a large flower, though freshly cut, dead and 

 brown petals were found scattered through the blossom, which at once 

 indicated that something was wrong, and investigations proved that the 

 cyclamen mite was responsible for the damage. 



In 191 5 Britton and others (6) published a short account of some 

 experiments in controlling T. pallidus, which had injured snapdragon 

 plants in greenhouses in Connecticut, and recorded it as being found on 

 cyclamen stock. Nothing concrening the life habits of this pest is 

 mentioned and nothing concerning its control on cyclamen stock, appar- 

 ently its principal host, is recorded. 



Banks (4) records this species as being injurious to greenhouse plants 

 in this country. In 191 5 Weiss (12) records this species as occurring 

 on chrysanthemums in New Jersey. 



The writer's attention was first called to the cyclamen mite in the 

 early fall of 191 6 at Corvallis, Oreg. The superintendent of the experi- 

 ment station greenhouses reported trouble to his cyclamen stock, and 

 upon an examination they were found to be badly infested by this mite. 



Specimens were received on December 18, 191 6, from florists in Des 

 Moines, Iowa, who have been more or less troubled with the cyclamen 

 mite for the past few years. However, in 191 6 they had found it more 

 troublesome than ever before and lost a large number of plants by its 

 ravages. Other specimens were received from Illinois growers who 

 raise large quantities of plants annually, some as high as 100,000 plants 

 during the year, and several recorded the fact that they had been espe- 

 cially alBicted with the cyclamen pest during the fall of 191 6. In each 

 instance specimens of infested plants were obtained by the writer from 

 the different concerns, in order to be certain that the growers did not 

 have the cyclamen mite confused with the greenhouse thrips. Numer- 

 ous reports have been received also from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and 

 Mchigan. A large grower of cyclamen in Detroit sent specimens and 

 wrote as follows : 



We have one large house of cyclamen which has been attacked and practically 

 ruined -by this pest. 



A number of examinations were made of cyclamen stock in greenhouses 

 in the Northwest (in Washington and Oregon). The mite was quite 

 prevalent, and in several cases the growers lost their entire stock of 

 cyclamen the past season (191 6). The data on hand show that growers 

 in 1 91 6 have each lost from 200 to 2,000 plants owing to this mite, and 

 no doubt this estimate is low. Cyclamen plants in bloom bring from 75 

 cents to $1 per plant during the holidays, and when we consider that it 

 takes over a year to grow the plants, the loss to growers is considerable. 



