April, '12] NORTON: CRWON GALL 231 



and the advice to grow on non-infected soil will have less value ; though, 

 of course, ground occupied by a thoroughly infected raspberry patch 

 would be much more dangerous for a new plantation than a piece of 

 ground with a little chance natural infection. 



The opportunity of wounds affording entrance for the germ is very 

 important, and any means of preventing or protecting exposed tissues 

 is of value in controlling the disease. 



I think most of us will agree that crown gall is very destructive to 

 raspberries, less so to blackberries, and is quite serious on some stone 

 fruits, particularly, if infected when young. There is much doubt 

 of it being very serious on apple, except possibly on quite young trees. 

 A number of responsible men have pointed out orchards several years 

 in bearing and in apparently perfect condition, which were planted 

 from infected stock, while others cite cases when especially under 

 unfavorable conditions diseased nursery stock has failed to make 

 good trees, or where gall trees show great tendency to secondary 

 infections at the crown, or to break off at this point, or to have a much 

 increased tendency to throw up sprouts from the root. Whether the 

 length of bearing life would be much less in affected trees, time must 

 tell. 



Even in kinds of fruit where there is little danger from the gall 

 disease, it must be remembered that the work of Hedgecock, Smith, 

 and others, has shown that the germs from these slightly injured 

 trees may infect other species that would be soon killed by them. 



■ Hippodamia ambigua Lee. in Massachusetts. A package of celery was delivered 

 in January to a customer in Amherst. In the warm room, beetles resembling the 

 "lady bugs" of this \dcinity, crawled out in large numbers. Considerably over twenty- 

 five were gathered up and destroyed. The celery was then put away in a cool 

 place, but later, upon being opened, a cluster of twenty-four beetles was found in 

 the heart of the leaves. In all, there must have been upwards of fifty individuals 

 in the original cluster. 



The specimens were identified by Mr. Arthur I. Bourne of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College Experiment Station, as the Hippodamia ambigua Lee. The 

 identification was confirmed by Mr. Charles Schaeffer of Brooklyn Museum. With- 

 out either of these entomologists knowing it, the merchant who sold the celerj', pre- 

 Adously had pronounced it from California. 



It is well recognized, I believe, that this species has the habit of clustering in large 

 numbers. This behavior was exceptionally pronounced. The twenty-four speci- 

 mens in the bottle remained m a compact ball when darkened. Upon receiving 

 light, however, they scattered and climbed the sides of the bottle in the sun. 



Another peculiar feature was the drinking of a drop of water. This observation 

 was accidental, a beetle being confined under a tumbler in which there had been 

 water. Drops of considerable size were readily taken. The first instance was 

 observed immediatelj' after a beetle had been warmed up sufficiently to crawl. 



Burton X. Gates, 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst. 



