APPLE-SUCKERS. 



the middle blooms of the truss, where they could shelter themselves 

 from insecticides, and mentioned the injured trusses might he pulled 

 off and shaken down like chaff; in fact this season they had done him 

 much more harm than the caterpillar attack. 



To check their increase, he arranged what he mentioned as a 

 "handy weapon," which may be shortly described as made of sundry 

 pieces of tin fastened at the end of a long wooden lath, which served as 

 a handle. These pieces of tin being well smeared with some greasy 

 mixture, this adhesive surface could be raised by the long wooden lath, 

 and waved at pleasure amongst the infested shoots, and by this 

 smiple means the Psyllas flying from the buds were caught in enormous 

 numbers. 



Mr. J. Hiam thus described in detail how he made his apparatus : 

 —"I unsoldered some Tomato tins, and levelled them out flat, dis- 

 carding the ends or round portions. I procured a piece of slate lath 

 about four feet long, and smoothed the handle, and nailed four tins on 

 the top, overlapping at the joints. I mixed some tree-dressing grease 

 thin with a little linseed oil, and well smeared both sides of my handy 

 implement. 



" As the flies or adult Psyllas fly off at one's approach, they are 

 slashed away at right and left, taking them at both strokes. By this 

 simple plan I can easily destroy 6000 in an hour, ascertained by 

 measurement of the surface and counting the insects on a square inch." 

 Mr. Hiam noted that it was advisable to re-dress the tins pretty 

 often with grease, as otherwise, if the insects only came in contact 

 with the bodies of those already adhering to the grease, they would 

 escape capture. Also, he noted that many more could be caught in 

 brilliant sunshine than on dull days. 



The attack of the Apple Psyllas does not appear to be one at all 

 generally observed, but where it occurs it has a power of doing a great 

 amount of damage. 



Note.— For life-history of the Psylla mali from English observations, 

 together with means of prevention or remedy, and also references to 

 foreign notices, see my 14th 'Keport on Injurious Insects,' pp. 4—11. 

 — E. A. 0. 



