Reports to van'o/rs Corvespondents. 45 



alkali wash and again in the early summer with parathn emulsion. 

 Encouragement of the Blue Tit and other Tits or raridm in gardens 

 and orchards should always be the aim of anyone interested in fruit 

 culture." 



Numerous other correspondents have written regarding this pest, 

 which is fully dealt with elsewliere. 



The Apple Sucker. 



{Psijlla mali, Forster.) 



During the past season there has been a serious attack of this 

 fruit tree pest in most of the fruit centres in Great Ihitain. From 

 Herefordshire Mr. F. Getting, of Ashfield Park, writes : " The Apple 

 Sucker, with the exception of the Pear Midge, is the most difficult of 

 the insect pests I have had to deal with. T have tried several washes, 

 caustic alkali wash, paraffin and soft soap, quassia and soft soap, 

 Spimo, etc., and up to the present have not found anything to 

 materially reduce their numbers. Certainly the last two or tliree 

 years they have increased more rapidly than ever, and I hare not used 

 the caustic alkali wash rcgnlarlif (as in former winters). Whether 

 this is merely a coincidence or not I cannot say." 



Mr. Cecil Hooper, Secretary to the Kent Fruit CJrowers' Asso- 

 ciation, writes : " The Apple Sucker is very plentiful, and is said to 

 be on the increase in Kent." 



In Sussex it does not seem to do any harm. ]\Ir. Bear writes he 

 has not noticed it in his district (Hailsham). 



Numerous observations have been made during the past summer 

 upon this pest. In one instance it appeared in enormous numbers 

 at Wye in the fruit plantation belonging to the South-Eastern Agri- 

 cultural College, where it had scarcely been seen since the plantation 

 vfii'S) started. In my own garden I never remember seeing more than 

 an occasional specimen, but this year some trees were smothered 

 with the pest later in the season, and great numbers could be found 

 liy beating a neighbouring hawthorn hedge in July. 



The action of this pest on the trees is varied. In some instances 

 the larval and pupal Psiillss destroy the developing buds entirely, 

 both blossom and leaf Imds being attacked ; in other cases the leaf 

 ])uds unfold, and then the trees present a very curious aspect that 

 was entirely due to the action of these insects. The blossom buds 

 are most attacked. The loaves of the ap{)le, instead of being 

 normal, presented the appearance shown in Fig. 6, b. They were 

 mostly pallid, often having a frosty appearance and very much 



