MEXICAN CONCHUELA IN WESTERN TEXAS IN IW',. 7 



falling to the ground. It was apprehended that the pests would 

 transfer their attention to the late peaches Avhen these began to 

 ripen, and a few were observed to do so, but apparenth' when the 

 supply of early peaches was exhausted or rendered unfit for further 

 feeding, the late peaches were not mature enough to be attractive, 

 and consequently sutl'ered practically no injury from this source. 



(i RAPES. 



In lOO.") at Barstow the fruit in the vineyards was in general 

 only slightly affected by Pentatoma ligata. The principal damage 

 was in the small gardens in town, where in certain instances the 

 destruction Avas practically complete. Probably owing to the large 

 area occupied by the vineyards and to the fact that the fruit of the 

 dirt'erent varieties ripens at about the same time, no especial con- 

 centration of the insects in the large vineyards was noticed, and there 

 was no indication that any such concentration occurred. The ripe 

 fruit is preferred, although when the food supply is short it may be 

 attacked when immature. The injured berry shrivels and under the 

 influence of the hot sun soon becomes raisin-like. 



At Tlahualilo. Durango. ^lexico, on July 17, 1905, a vinej^ard of 

 about 10 acres with vines heavily loaded with fruit became thor- 

 oughly infested by direct migration frotn an adjacent alfalfa field 

 of adults and of nymphs in the last two instars. Each cluster of 

 grapes was attacked by several bugs, the maximum noted on a single 

 cluster being 25. Without consultation with the writer the grapes 

 were picked innnediately upon discovery of the infestation, the pre- 

 sumption being that the removal of their food would serve as a 

 check to the insects, to the benefit of the cotton fields. This step 

 was, however, inadvisable, since the fruit, which was of compara- 

 tively small value, would have served as a trap at which the bugs 

 could have been easily destroyed when so thickly congregated. As 

 it Avas, the bugs gathered in groups of hundreds on the trellis posts 

 and on the vines, principally at the forks, where they were destroAxd, 

 partly by spraying and i^artly by use of a gasoline-blast torch. The 

 last-mentioned method, while effective in its destruction of the pest, 

 injured the vines to a certain extent in nearly all cases. 



CARDKX VK(;KTABI,ES. 



Between the middle of July and the iMiddle of August garden 

 crops at Barstow were affected to a considerable extent by this 

 destructive pest. Owing to the com|)aratively small amount of land 

 devoted to such crops, the actual money equivalent of the loss was 

 not great. The crops Avliich suffered most were peas, beans, and 

 tomatoes. In each case the attack was restricted almost entirely to 



78936°— Bull. (i4— 11 2 



