hed spider. 137 



damage in the English and German Hop-plantations. The 

 leaves of the plants turned brown, became shrivelled, and fell 

 off; and thousands of acres produced no Hops." — (C. White- 

 head.) 



The following note describes the progress of the attack, and 

 the effect of rain in checking it ; and also gives some idea of 

 the amount of loss consequent on attack : — 



"Eed Spider in Hops. — This only appears in dry seasons. 

 It shows itself first by a brownish yellow appearance in the 

 middle of the leaf, generally at the top of the poles, in large 

 spots, spreading rapidly all over the Hop-garden, unless rain 

 comes, which, if of any continuance, stops its progress. On 

 looking under the discoloured leaves a small web will be found 

 over the whole surface. After a time these leaves drop off, 

 and the Hops all become red or brown. 



" In 1868 I had fifteen hundredweight per- acre reduced on 

 several acres to five hundredweight, and then the five hundred- 

 weight were only worth about half-price. We do not use any- 

 thing to stop it, because of the Hop being out." 



"Eed Spider" does not spread in late Hops which have 

 been kept back by vermin, as the leaves are young and full of 

 sap. It is dryness in everything that conduces to its spread, 

 and I should think that this year one thousand acres of Hops 

 have been left unpicked through it. — (J. W.) 



Besides the winter shelter found by the Red Spider under 

 stones near where infested leaves have fallen (mentioned by 

 M. Duges in Murray's ' Aptera ' previously quoted), it is 

 mentioned by Mr. C. Whitehead that " in the case of Hop- 

 plantations they also retire into the cracks of the poles, and 

 they have been found upon the Hop-bines after they have 

 been stacked for litter, as well as upon the ends of bines left 

 in the hills or stocks during the winter." 



To this I add the following observations, extracted verhatim 

 from Mr. W^hitehead's special Report on Insects Injurious to 

 Hop-plants, Mr. Whitehead being a well-known and approved 

 authority on the subject of Hop-growing in its various 

 branches : — 



" As English Hop-planters cannot irrigate the Hop-land, 

 as is done in Tasmania, the only means of prevention are to 

 apply hot lime or other caustic and pungent substances, as 

 soot or lime, round the Hop-stocks in the late autumn after an 

 attack, taking care that this should be put over the stocks and 

 pieces of bine left on them. After an attack it would be of 

 course desirable that the poles should be treated with a 

 solution of paraffin or petroleum to kill the mites in their 

 cracks. Practically, however, as Hop-planters would agree, 

 this is almost impossible. In the case of poles that are fixtures 



