measure consists in felling during the growing season and barking 

 immediately afterwards. This, however, entails the disadvantage 

 of the greater injuries sustained during the growing period by young 

 growth through felling effected in summer and through the need 

 (which the author regards as imperative where re-stocking is natural) 

 for immediately removing the stumps. For this reason winter felling 

 may be unavoidable. In any case infested and barked stem wood 

 must not be left in the forest for long, because barking is not a complete 

 protection. Furthermore the immediate removal of timber is not 

 sufi&cient if the sawmill is in the vicinity and the wood is allowed to 

 remain there for several months. It is necessary that the timber 

 be sawn (which facilitates drying) as soon as possible after it is removed 

 from the forest, and this removal must be effected before mid-May 

 at the latest. The use of trap-logs and trap-billets is insufficient 

 for work on a large scale, but they are useful indicators of the amount 

 of infestation. The clearing of forests of all suspicious material 

 must not be neglected. 



Chittenden (F. H.). Control of the Melon Aphis. --C/. S. Dept. Agric., 

 Washington, D.C., Farmers' Bull. no. 914, February 1918, 16 pp., 

 8 figs. [Received 29th October 1918.] 



The melon aphis [Aj^his gossi/fii, Glover] is the most abundant 

 and destructive Aphid affecting melons and cucumbers, and it also 

 attacks pumpkin, mid gourd, winter squash and other cucurbits, 

 cotton, okra, orange and other citrus fruits. Secondary food-plants 

 that are attacked when cucurbits are not available are hops, strawberry, 

 beans, sugar and table beets, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, several 

 ornamental plants and various common weeds. The pest is widely 

 distributed in many countries and is very general throughout the 

 United States. In Texas, Kansas and Nebraska it is particularly 

 troublesome, especially in the last two States to cucumbers, which 

 are extensively grown for pickhng. Soon after the plants have 

 developed leaves the winged Aphids begin to migrate to them from 

 weeds and other vegetation, frequently passing, as their food-plants 

 become exhausted, from one crop to another. A. gossypii is fortunately 

 held in abeyance to a great extent and limited to innocuous numbers 

 by natural enemies, of which there are a great many. The number 

 of insect species known to prey upon the melon aphis is about 40. 

 Coccinellids that are of great assistance in control include Hippodamia 

 convergens and Scymnus terminatus. These insects are active at all 

 seasons, especially at the time of appearance of the aphis. Other 

 enemies are the maggots of certain species of Syrphids, such as Syrphus 

 ribesii, which devour large numbers of the Aphids, and the larvae of 

 lace-wing flies. Several minute Hymenoptera are parasitic upon 

 A. gossypii, while parasitic fungi also destroy many. The parasites 

 are most effective tow^ards the end of the season. Artificial control 

 is, as a rule, only necessary when the enemies are not present in their 

 usual numbers. A direct contact spray appUed to the Aphids on 

 the under-sides of the leaves as soon as infestation begins has been 

 found successful. The formula recommended for the spray is 3 fluid 

 oz. 40 per cent, nicotine sulphate and 1 lb. laundry soap to 25 U.S. 



