68 



This caterpillar gnaws the inside of the tender stalks, and in autumn does great 

 damage by destroying the inside of the pods. The only means of fighting this worm 

 is to burn the dry stalks of the cotton plant, a means proposed by the late Joanovich 

 Bey and practiced by order of Mr. Gibson. 



By this proceeding the caterpillars which are passing their winter in the chrysalis 

 state are destroyed and ashes are obtained. 



This caterpillar escapes every method of destruction by staying in the inside of the 

 plant. 



III. THE COTTON BUG. 



{Oxycaremis hyalinipenrtis Costa.) 



It is found on many plants, particularly around the Mediterranean. It is of an 

 elongated ovoid shape, and is brown or blackish in color. These bugs are found in 

 great numbers in the ripe pods of the cotton plant. I have observed that they suck 

 the sap from the base of the young pods and from the blossoms and thus prevent their 

 development; they attack also the seeds when they are tender, which results in a 

 diminution of the germinative strength, and consequently a diminution in the prod- 

 uct of the plants. 



Besides these injuries, these insects, by pullulating in the cotton, make it dirty 

 and communicate to it their characteristic and disagreeable smell. Among these 

 various insects it is the leaf-eater (Prodenia) which makes the greatest ravages in the 

 cotton plantations, and although the alum-carbolic treatment destroys the worm in 

 a sure way, it would be better to seek a cheaper and more simple remedy. The use 

 of ashes of the cotton plant might perhaps be tried with success in doses of a hun- 

 dred weight per acre, whether pure or mixed with a small quantity of carbolic acid. 



They should be used while the worms are still very yOung, or even before they are 

 hatched. Up to the present T have never tried this substance, and I beg cultivators 

 who are in a condition to make the experiment to try it this year, in order to arrive 

 at a conclusion. By burniug the dry stalks of the cotton plant to obtain their ashes 

 not only would the gnawing worm be destroyed but a product would be obtained, 

 which, spread on the fields, would be at the same time a manure for the plant and a 

 poison for destructive insects. — [Eugene Schuyler, Agent and Consul-General, Cairo, 

 June 2, 1890. 



A beneficial Beetle on Orange Trees. 



We send by to-day's mail a box containing bugs that are found on orange trees, also 

 on Peach and in the cracks of ripe fruit. Will you please name them for us and let 

 us know whether they are injurious or otherwise ? — [E. O. Painter, De Land, Fla., 

 April 21, 1890. 



Reply. — Yours of the 21st ult. has been received, together with the accompanying 

 specimens of insects found upon Orange, Peach, and in the cracks of ripe fruit. This 

 insect is the common Epitragus tomentosus, mentioned upon page 75 of Hubbard's 

 report on " Insects Affecting the Orange." The early history of this beetle is un- 

 known, but its larva probably lives on the ground among oak leaves. The adult 

 beetles are carnivorous and feed upon scale-insects of all kinds. It is, therefore, ben- 

 eficial and not injurious. — [April 28, 1890.] 



Aspidiotus perniciosus. 



I forward by to-days mail specimens of apple and pear tree bark taken from trees 

 in the orchard of J. M. Gose, of this place. The disease with which these trees are 

 affected is new in this section, having made its appearance last year for the first time. 

 The first symptoms are minute white and brown scales on the outside, and when cut 

 the bark shows red or black spots. The fruit buds show red where it should be 

 white, and even the fruit is affected the same way. The disease spreads rapidly from 

 tree to tree, appearing tirst on the larger limbs and quickly making its way to the 



