213 



Laurent (L.). La Chenille mineuse de I'Artichaut. — Fev. Hortic. 



de VAlgerie, Algiers, xxiii, no. 11-12, November-December 

 1919, pp. 337-339, 2 figs. [Received 29th March 1920.] 



Gorlyna {Hydroecia) xanthenes is causing serious and increasing- 

 damage to artichokes {Cynara) in Algeria and the South of France, where' 

 it has been a pest for the last ten years. The adult moths are on the 

 wing from the end of September and during October, when they fly 

 at night, ovipositing on the shoots of artichokes. The larvae enter 

 the shoot and descend slowly to the junction of the stem and root, 

 passing the spring and summer in this way. In Julv or August pupa- 

 tion occurs, the adults emerging in October. The plants grow gradually 

 weaker while the insects feed within them, and die in July or Augus^t 

 without having flowered. 



Former recommendations have been to dig up infested plants at the 

 end of May and burn them. While the eflicacy of this method cannot 

 be disputed, it is suggested that as some of the stalks probably remain 

 sound it is a pity to dig up the whole plant, while the burning of a 

 quantity of pulpy matter of this kind is not easy, and if not thoroughly 

 done, may be an encouragement to the insect rather than a deterrent. 

 As an alternative, summer treatments are advised. At the beginninc^ 

 of summer the parts of the plant above ground die and the stems 

 remaining below give rise to a number of buds that form shoots for 

 the next year. In early July the ground around the plants should 

 be Ughtly cultivated and the shoots cut down to the surface of the soil 

 or even a httle lower. Some of these will be healthy, firm and full 

 of sap, others will show a central cavity ; the latter are the infested 

 shoots and should be cut off from the main stem as low down as possible 

 until healthy tissue is found. The shoots should then be cut longitu- 

 dinally and the larvae of G. xanthenes removed and destroyed. The 

 main stems should all be inspected and if the removal of an unsound 

 portion would damage the stem too badly they should be sounded with 

 a pointed stick. All refuse should be immediately burnt. This 

 treatment destroys almost all the miners. If irrigation is possible, 

 the plants should be well watered about a month later, when they 

 are showing signs of growth, and if any infested plants still remain 

 they can then be detected by their sickly appearance. 



As the red artichoke is a little earlier than the white, a second 

 cultivation should be given during September. Any superfluous 

 shoots should be removed and the best of tliem put in a nursery for 

 planting out in the following spring. It is obvious that co-operation 

 IS necessary, for if any plantation is left untended until autumn, the 

 adults oi G. xanthenes emerging from it will disperse and lay their 

 eggs in neighbouring plantations. 



Chateau (C). Le Pou Rouge et le Sel M^rin. Rev. Hortic. de 

 VAlgerie, Algiers, xxiii, no. 11-12, November-December 1919 

 p. 343. [Received 29th March 1920.] 



For orange trees infested with Chrysomphalus dicfijospermi pin- 

 nulijera {minor) the author has used a spray consisting of tliree parts 

 sea- water to one part fresh water, making four applications in a year, 

 two at the end of May at four day's interval, and two at the end of 

 September, these two periods being the time when reproduction is 



