S50 Fiftieth Report on the State Museum 



A Plum Mite. (Country Gentleman, for May 21, 1896, Ixi, p. 406, 

 c. 2 — 16 cm.) 



Leaves of a Chickasaw plum from Muncy, Pa., are deformed with 

 galls showing on both surfaces of the leaf, produced by a gallmite 

 which is seen under a powerful glass. Judging from the character ot 

 the gall, it is identical with that oi Phytoptus pruni Amerl., which has 

 not been previously detected in this country. For the destruction o! 

 the mite, hand-picking and burning the infested leaves early in the 

 season, and winter spraying with kerosene emulsion are recommended. 



[See page 318 of this Report (xii).] 



The " Fire Worm." (Country Gentleman, for May 28, 1896, Ixi, p. 431, 

 cols. 3, 4 — 12 cm.) 



The canker-worm, Anisopte)yxvernata (Peck), is defoliating orchards 

 in Amenia, N. Y., where it has previously been abundant. It is prov- 

 ing quite resistant to Paris green, and one pound of the green to 100 

 gallons of water has been required for killing it. Its habit of dropping 

 from the foliage and being carried on its thread by the wind to other 

 trees is noticed. It is known in Amenia, as the " fire worm," as the 

 trees after the infestation, look as if they had been swept by fire. 



[See pages 31 1-3 12 of this Report (xii).] 



-On the Girdling of Elm Twigs by the Larvae of Orgyia leucostigma and 

 its Results. (Proceedings of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science — Forty-fourth meeting, held at Springfield, Mass., 

 August-September, 1895. May, 1896, p. 156 — 5 cm.) 



A brief abstract of the paper under the above title was published in the 

 American Naturalist for January, 1896. See page 347 of this Report. 



Fruit Tree Aphides. (Country Gentleman, for June 11, 1896, Ixi, p. 466, 

 cols. 3, 4 — 12 cm.) 



Some black aphides on cherry from East Harlford, N. Y., are iden- 

 tified as the cherry-tree aphis, Myzus cerasi (Fabr.), and the green ones 

 on plum as Aphis prunifolix Fitch. The former is a common and 

 widely distributed pest, while the latter is much less so. Spraying the 

 plant-lice with whale-oil soap solution or strong tobacco water on 

 their first appearance is effective. After the leaves curl, the spray is not 

 effective. The Syrphid larvae found preying on the aphides would 

 probably soon destroy them all. 



{Kill the Larvae of the Elm-leaf Beetle.] (Albany Evening Journal, for 

 June 24, 1896, p. 4, c. 4 — 16 cm.) 



The larvae of the first brood are now descending for pupation, and 

 by killing them with hot water or kerosene, the ravages of the second 

 brood may be largely prevented. This method is simple, while general 

 spraying is impracticable. Infested trees — confined almost entirely to 

 European elms, are indicated by small spots on sidewalks ordinarily 



