xxvi Remedial Measures and Insecticides. 



which, after killing tlie insect, spreads outwards as a deh'cate fringe 

 of interlacing whitish threads. A bright orange-coloured fungus 

 (Septoria ? sp.) is useful in checking the increase of Fiorinia 

 fiorinice and CJiionaspis biclavis on the tea plant, and Aspidiotus 

 aurantii on orange trees. A very similar fungus {^SphcErostilbe 

 coccopJiild) that attacks Aspidiotus perniciosus in Florida (U.S.A.) 

 has been the subject of some very interesting experiments to test 

 the possibility of communicating the disease to previously healthy 

 colonies of the insect. Dr. L. O. Howard gives the following 

 particulars of the experiment : * — 



' An interesting and important development of the past two 

 seasons' work has been the identification and study of the parasitic 

 fungus, SpJicerostilbe coccopJiila. Professor Rolfs, of the Florida 

 Station, has devoted a bulletin largely to the consideration of this 

 fungus, which, as previously stated, seems to be prevalent through- 

 out the Southern States. He has shown experimentally that the 

 fungus may be transferred to trees affected with San Jose scale, 

 and the disease produced among the scales. His process was to 

 inoculate acid bread with pure cultures of the fungus, and three 

 weeks later the application was made in the following way : — A 

 piece of the bread about an inch square was placed in cold water, 

 and shaken until the bread was broken up and the spores distributed 

 in the water. This water was then applied to the scaly tree by 

 means of a sponge or cloth, or sprayed on. The applications 

 were made in Midsummer of 1896, and observations were made as 

 to the results late in February, 1897. Four of his experiments 

 resulted successfully, and three unsuccessfully, while in the eighth 

 experiment the result was doubtful on account of the tree having 

 died between the times of treatment and inspection. Twigs from 

 Florida containing Sans Jose scales, infested by the fungus, were 

 sent to Mr. Horace Roberts, at Fellowship, N.J., about the middle 

 of June. On September 25th Dr. Smith found the fungus upon 

 almost, if not quite, all of the trees on which twigs had been tied. 

 A number of instances have come to our observation of the death 

 of the scale in a wholesale manner from the spontaneous work of this 

 disease, or from some other cause. For example, we received scale- 

 infested cuttings in January, 1897, from an orchard which was said 

 to have been freed from scales by this fungus disease. Careful 



* Bulletin, No. 12. (New Series.) U.S. Department of Agriculture (Division 

 of Entomology). 



