610 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Oct., 1916. 



on plums, apricots, and other trees, also on garden plants, principally 

 fuchsias and pelargoniums. If the plants are sprayed with red oil or 

 benzole emulsion the scales soon disappear. 



The Rose Aphis. 



This destructive insect is well known. The family of aphidse con- 

 tains many species or varieties. Nearly every plant has its own 

 particular ajohis. They are all minute, soft-bodied, and generally long- 

 legged. The mouth is furnished with a curiously constructed beak 

 for sucking the juices of the plants. The life-history of these insects 

 is very complex. The winter eggs, or larvae, lie dormant during the 

 cold in crevices in the trunks, or hidden underground on the roots of 

 the host plants. As the warm weather approaches, they crawl up the 

 trunks, cluster round the leaf -buds, and, sticking their sliarp beaks into 

 the tissue, suck the sap. They give birth tO' larvae, which grow rapidly, 

 and in turn (through virgin females) bring forth fresh broods of live 

 larvse, which, in the course of several generations, develop two pairs of 

 large, transparent wings. The aphides are usually of both sexes, though 

 in some species the males are wanting. The last generation flies away 

 in swarms. Before dying, the insects deposit eggs, which carry on the 

 cycle of their life into the next summer. The following sprays have 

 been tried with good results, viz. : — Tobacco-water. Quassia-water (soak 

 1 lb. quassia chips in 1. gallon of cold water overnight, and boil gently 

 for four hours. Strain off the chips, and dissolve | lb. of soft soap in 

 the solution. This will make 10 gallons of spray). Benzole emulsion, 

 surpazol, Niqua's pine spray, and red oil (used after pruning is abso- 

 lutely the best spray for these insects) are also recommended. 



The Apple-Root Borer.* 



This weevil is a native insect which formerly infested wattles 

 (acacias), but has now forsaken its natural food, and is one of the worst 

 insect j^ests orchardists, vignerons, and others have to deal with, on 

 account of the grubs or larvae living deep in the soil and in the roots of 

 apples, vines, &;c. The perfect insect is usually of a light-grey colour, 

 but is a variable species, sometimes the colour being a brownish-grey. 

 The females are larger than the males. The insects crawl up the trees : 

 the female depositing her eggs on the leaves, and closing the leaves over. 

 Sometimes the eggs are deposited on grass and weeds, therefore it is 

 absolutely necessary to keep orchards free from weeds, as they are always 

 a harbor for all kinds of insects. The following remedies have been 

 tried, and have given fairly good results, viz. : — Spraying with arsenate 

 of lead, and trapping the beetles. Experiments for the destruction of 

 root-borers are now being carried out, under the supervision of Mr. E. 

 E. Pescott, at the School of Horticulture, Burnley, and when finished 

 the results of our investigations will be published in the Journal. 



Conclusion. 



The illustrations, and many notes on insects, are from the works of 

 C. French, senior; W. W. Froggatt ; and A. M. Lea. 



"" * This insect is not illustrated. 



