383 



Sunflower, wild Sniitioxrer, and Dahlias in Nebraska, and the larvoe of 

 becoming quite iujarious to potatoes in Texas. — F. M. Webster. 



THE SCURFY BARK-LOUSE UPON THE CURRANT. 



Prof. Herbert Osboru has written us in reference to our statement, 

 upon page 324 of No. 10 of Insect Life to the effect that Currant 

 had not previously been recorded as a food plant of Ghionasins furfurus^ 

 and that he had found it upon this plant in Iowa, and had mentioned 

 it upon page 95 of the Bulletin from the Department of Entomology 

 of the Iowa Agricultural College for ISS-t. 



PHYLLOXERA AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



We learn from the April number of Garden and Field that the Phyl- 

 loxera is abroad in fifteen centers in the division of Stellenbosch and in 

 two centers in the Cape division of Cape Colony. Bisulphide of car- 

 bon is being brought b}' the ton from England for use in treatment. 



WHITE ANTS IN FENCES. 



Prof. G. F. Atkinson records in a recent bulletin of the South Caro- 

 lina experiment station the fact that long stretches of the board fences 

 on the outskirts of Columbia have been seriously damaged by White 

 Ants. The principal damage is done to the boards where they meet 

 on the posts. It is j)articularly noticeable where a batten is nailed on 

 at the joint. Professor Atkinson states that tar poured between the 

 post and the boards soon after building the fence will act as a preventive. 



A NEW BUTTERFLY PUBLICATION. 



We have just received from Mr. A. Sidney Olliflf of the Australian 

 Museum, a copy of a little pamphlet of fifty pages entitled "Australian 

 Butterflies : A brief account of the native families with a chapter ou 

 Collecting and Preserving lusects." The pamphlet is profusely illus- 

 trated with wood-cuts and the chapter upon collecting and preserving 

 is valuable. 



THE BOT-FLY OF THE OX. 



We are glad to notice that the Farmers' Review^ of Chicago, is un- 

 dertaking an investigation relative to the damage to cattle and their 

 hides from the larva of the Bot-fly of the Ox or Ox Warble-fly. The in- 

 vestigation is undertaken by means of circular, and the following spe- 

 cific questions are asked : 



1. Are grubs common on the backs of cattle in your county ? 



2. What damage do they do? 



3. Do bnyera " dock" cattle in your locality on account of the grubs ? If so, what 

 loss in dollars and cents does this amount to on sales in the grubby season? 



