29 



every symptom of inquietude and anger. Sometimes, to rescue them from their rivals, 

 they take their Aphides in their mouth ; they generally keep guard round them, and 

 when the branch is conveniently situated, they have recourse to an expedient still more 

 effectual to keep off interlopers. They inclose it in a tube of earth or other materwl, and 

 thus confine them in a kind of paddock near their nest, and often communicating 

 with it." 



Another curious and noteworthy fact in the history of Aphides is their occaiional 

 migration from one place to another in enormous swarms. Nearly a centurj- ago Gilbert 

 White observed at Selborne, in Hampshire, a .shower of Aphides, which coveretl persons 

 walking in the street, hedges, garden plants, and everj'thing else that came in their way ; 

 he considered that ihey were borne by the east wind from the great hop fieMs of Kent 

 and Sussex. Kirby and Spence mention similar swarms in the vicinity of Ipswich in 

 1814, and at Hull in 1836. To come to later times, Mr. Knaggs relates {Ent-imologisU' 

 MontMy Magazine, No. 5, p. 123) that on the 14th of July, 1864. '' whilst walking along 

 the beach from Bournemouth towards Poole, a strange mossy-looking, green track, which 

 \'aried in width from one to three or four inches, arrested my attention ; 'this mos.s-like 

 line, left at high-water mark by the tide, extended, so far as my observation went, for a 

 mile, though probably to a far greater length, and consisted of millions upon millions of 

 Aphides." The following year, it is stated i)y Mr. Haswell (Enl. Mag., No. 18, p. 142) 

 that the Aphides were a perfect pest in E<linbun;h and other parts of Scotland in Sep- 

 tember and October ; they swarmed over everj-thiug even in the streets of cities, and to 

 such an extent that " they rendered one very uncomfortable by their numbers, especially 

 when they got into one's mouth or eyes ! " 



The numbers and devastating powers of the Hop Aphis being so great, it becomes 

 necessary oftentimps to apply some artificial remedy in order to save the crop from en- 

 tire destruction. In parts of England where the labour of women and children can be 

 obtained at a cheap rate, it has been recommended to clear the plants of insects by hand; 

 but any such mode of dealing with them is quite out of the question in Canada. We must 

 then have recourse to some other expedients. The following we believe to be the 

 most efficacious : 



(1.) Make a mixture of strong soap-suds ; add to it salt and saltpetre till a brine is 

 made about half as strong as ordinary beef pickle ; add further a pound of copperas dis- 

 solved in warm water to every five gallons of liquid. Or 



(2.) Make a strong decoction ot tobacco by boiling at the rate of a poui^ of stems 

 »nd refuse parts, or other cheap tobacco, to a gallon of water. 



As soon as the insects are observed on the vines (or bines, as hop-growers term them,) 

 they may be at once detected by the discolouration that we have referred to above. Go 

 through the rows with a supply of either of these mixtures, and sprinkle them thorough- 

 ly with it. As the insects are for the most part congregated on the under side of the 

 leaves, it is necessary to use a strong syringe, or better, a small ganlen engine with a rose- 

 nozzle attached, and squirt the liquid upon the insects from beneath. Constant watchful- 

 ness and a diligent application of these means will keep a hop-yard clear of these insects, 

 without incurring any very great expense. The modem system of training the vines 

 upon horizontal trellises, instead of long poles, renders easy the successful employment 

 of this method. 



Another remedy that has been highly spoken of is the dusting of the affecteil plants 

 with powdered plaster, which not only kills the Aphis, but is of benefit to the soil as 

 well. Instead of plaster, sulphur, or lime may be employed with advantage, the former 

 being especially useful also as a preventative for mildew. 



In aildition to the use of the artificial remedies just Fic 18. 



referred to, much benefit may be derived from the encourage- 

 ment of various insects that prey almost exclusively upon 

 the various species of Aphis. As we have before stated, when 

 giving an account of the enemies of the Grain Plant Louse 

 {2nd Report, p. .58), "the most common and useful are the 

 different species of Lady -birds (Fig. 18) : the Lace- wing Flies 

 (Chrysopa), both in their perfect state (Fig. 19), and in their larval condition (Fig 20) ; 



