EXPERIMENT STATION REPOET. 519 



Mr. Diekereoii's observations, noted elsewhere in the report, will 

 bring out this feature more clearly and in greater detail. 



The Maple Pseudococcus started in large numbers and prom- 

 ised to become very abundant locally. It did, in fact, attract a 

 great deal of attention, but, owing to a variety of causes, did not 

 become as numerous as was expected. One of the causes, perhaps, 

 was the fact that the lady-bird beetle, Hyperasjns signata, finding 

 its normal food, the Pulvmaria, so much reduced in number, used 

 the Pseudococcus as a substitute. 



It was observed last fall that the insects craAvled in great num- 

 bers from the upper parts of the tree to the trunk and got intoi the 

 bark ca'evic*fs to pass the winter. Taking advantage of this the 

 trunks of the infested trees were sprayed with petroleum emulsion 

 and many specimens were destroyed. As many of the insects fell 

 with the leaves, however, and sought shelter on the ground and 

 around the base of the trees, this method was not so completely 

 successful as was hoi)ed. It should be supplemented by gathering 

 up and burning the leaves beneath infested trees as soon as possible 

 after they fall, and by banding the tree tO' be protected by a com- 

 plete coating of some sticky material which the insects cannot 

 pass on their journey up the tree. On this point the notes under 

 the heading shade tree insects should be referred tO'. 



The Tulip Soft Scale was again somewhat widespread and 

 troublesome, but, curiously enough, the greater number of com- 

 plaints this past season came from the more northern sections of 

 the State. This is an insect against which remedial measures are 

 rarely taken, and are in fact rather difiicult to make and unsatis- 

 factory in results. Fortunately this species also is subject to 

 parasitic attack, which, on the whole, keeps it down to incon- 

 spicuous numbers. 



The Peach Soft Scale, an account of which was published in the 

 report for 1905, was further observed during the past ^summer, 

 ISTo satisfactory applications were made in any oi'chard, and in 

 most of the infested orchards no applications of any kind were 

 made. In the course of his inspection work Mr. Dickersou; noted 

 the spread of the insect intOi adjacent orchards, so that gradually 

 the entire district is becoming infested. Up toi the present time 

 no spread into new districts has been noted, and as the insect does 

 not travel readily, there is no reason why, with a little care, it 

 should not be confined to the territory now infested. 



