8 



Pflanzenkrankheiten, BeitrJige zur landwirthschaftlichen Insekten- 

 kunde, Vol. IV, p. tt, 1891). He says: 



Fifteen or sixteen years ago I always raised excellent oats on a tield bordering a 

 meadow; all of the plants were of a strong and healthy growth, and about one meter 

 in height. Later, however, notwithstanding heavy manuring, the stalks became 

 gradually more slender and lower, and the croji of the grain so scant as not to pay 

 for cultivation. Happening once to inspect the grain during summer at the proper 

 time, I found that the cause of the decline was a plant-louse, which Dr. Geza v. Hor- 

 vath, at Kecokemet, in 1884, discovered to be the cause of "reddening" of the leaves 

 and the total destruction of the young plants, and which proved to be the grain aphid, 

 Toxoptera graminis Rond. 



Tt occurred to me that, by abandoning the common or Bauern oats and replacing 

 it by finer and stronger varieties, they migtit be able to successfully withstand the 

 attacks of the Toxoptera. I was, however, much mistaken. I planted on some of 

 my best fields adjoining the meadow a row of triumi^h oats, Anderbeck oats, and the 

 common Bauern oats, and found that lice showed a decided preference for the finer 

 varieties with broad, bandlike, and juicy leaves, particularly the triumph oats. Of 

 this variety absolutely nothing was left; all of the plants were destroyed before they 

 reached a few inches in height; the whole field was completely ruined as if it had 

 been swept by fire. Anderbeck oats resisted somewhat, though not nuich better, 

 whereas the common oats showed the best results, of which at least half a crop was 

 obtained. 



I am of the opinion that this invasion of the aphides had its origin in the meadow, 

 because the trouble began first along the edge of the meadow and spread gradually 

 to the middle of the field. Unfortunately all of my fields suitable for the cultivation 

 of oats are in the immediate neighborhood of meadows or along patches of grass, 

 while the more distant fields are of a sandy nature and can only be used for cultiva,- 

 tion of rye, corn, etc., which renders a comparison impossible. 



The consequences, therefore, were that I had to reduce the cultivation of oats to 

 a minimum and to replace it with fodder corn, turnips, clover, etc. 



Professor Sajo (p. 150, loc. cit.) says -that this species has probablj^ 

 nowhere else, except in Hungary, shown itself to be so destructive, 

 but that in Hungar}'^ it is one of the most destructive enemies of barley 

 and oats. He states that its destructive habits were first described by 

 Dr. G. V. Horvath, who discovered it to be the cause of the reddening 

 of the oats at Kecshemet, and that during the following years similar 

 complaints were reported from the provinces of Bacs-Bodrog, Borsod, 

 and Csanad. 



The latest contril)uti()ns regarding the food plants of this species 

 were pu])lished by Dr. Giac. Del Guercio (Nuove Relazioni R. Staz. 

 di Entom. Agraria, Firenze, serie prima, No. 2; Prospetto DelF 

 Afidofauna Italica, p. 115, 1900) with the statement that this plant 

 louse is found in considerable numbers on Triticum vulgare, Ilordewn 

 mdgare^ Avena sati'va, Zea iiiais^ Dactylic glomerata^ Bronius sp. , and 

 Loliwn perenna. 



HISTORY OF THE SPECIES IN AMERICA. 



The earliest record in the possession of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture of the presence of this pest in the United States dates 



