360 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY (Vol. 6 



some of its late flowers were still open, when the younger one was in 

 full flower a month or so later. The crown of the tree was now about 

 10 feet above the ground. 



Ten fruits were developed by this younger spike and first noticed 

 during February to March of this year (1912) although I am not aware 

 of any other Yucca specimens existing within several hundred yards 

 of mine. The flowers continued for from two to three months, and 

 their shrivelled remains persisted much longer, while the fruits grew 

 extremely slowly, attaining to proximate ripeness during October only. 

 On the 3d of that month a photograph (PL 8, Fig. 2) was taken of 

 the top of the tree, and in nearly the same direction as No. 1 (looking 

 south) but from two feet distance with a portrait lens attached to the 

 camera ("Brownie No. 2"), and showing the fruit from the north 

 {i. e., sunny) side. On the 9th, I cut out both spikes, and photographs 

 were taken showing them from the reverse side (PI. 8, Fig. 3). Some 

 of the fruits were now soft and overripe, and one cut open a few days 

 later was found too far gone for the detection of insect remains, the 

 soft pulp being purple-veined. This fruit, one of the largest, con- 

 tained 138 flat, black and perfectly ripe seeds and a much less number 

 of small, thin, white ones, mostly located at and near the stalk er^d. 

 The size of these varied from under three to over four inches and 

 I remit two as samples for examination by experts^ for external marks 

 of insect agency, comparison with American fruits, etc., by separate 

 parcel, and also a few of the peculiarly shaped seeds. These appear 

 to me to resemble tick species in color and form, which may possibly 

 assist in their distribution by birds feeding upon those animal para- 

 sites, and which, deceived by color and form, swallow them, and pass 

 them softened with their excrement. 



In Professor Riley's response appended to my note in 1892 {Ins. 

 Life, IV, 74) reference is made to certain characteristics of the leaves 

 being required for the determination of the species. The leaves of 

 my tree are 20 to 23 inches long, f to over 1| inches wide, very rigid 

 and most acutely pointed, the upper side concave and smooth, the 

 margins minutely rough-edged, forming crowded spirals near the crown. 

 The older leaves bend backward and are finally closely adpressed to 

 the trunk and long persistent when dry. The trunk of the tree is now 

 fully six inches in diameter, and the total height, inclusive of the three 

 branches, over ten feet. 



Thus far then as my observations go, it took about 16 years in the 



iMr. August Busck, at the request of Dr. Howard, examined the specimens and 

 found no evidence of insects. The specimens were verj' moldy and further compari- 

 Bons were impracticable. — Ed. 



