﻿THE 
  WHITE 
  PINE 
  CHERMES.* 
  

  

  (Cliermes 
  pinicorticis 
  Fitch.) 
  

  

  BY 
  E. 
  L. 
  STORMENT. 
  

  

  The 
  University 
  of 
  Illinois 
  possesses 
  a 
  small 
  grove 
  of 
  white 
  i^ines 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  its 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  farm, 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  

   of 
  the 
  trees 
  being 
  about 
  six 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness 
  and 
  thirty 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  the 
  trunks 
  and 
  larger 
  limbs 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  

   in 
  this 
  grove 
  have 
  been 
  badly 
  infested 
  by 
  this 
  white 
  pine 
  plant-louse, 
  

   and 
  the 
  trunks 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  appear 
  as 
  if 
  freshly 
  whitewashed, 
  

   so 
  thickly 
  is 
  the 
  woolly 
  excretion 
  of 
  the 
  Chcrmes 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  

   bark. 
  The 
  damage 
  the 
  insects 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  inflict 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   estimate 
  v/ith 
  accuracy, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  considerable. 
  

   It 
  is 
  evident 
  in 
  the 
  shortened 
  leaves 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  annual 
  growth 
  of 
  

   the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  — 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  quite 
  sufficient 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  

   that 
  the 
  louse 
  is 
  of 
  economic 
  importance 
  to 
  such 
  as 
  appreciate 
  the 
  

   white 
  pine 
  as 
  an 
  ornamental 
  tree. 
  

  

  TREES 
  ATTACKED 
  BY 
  THE 
  ('HERMES. 
  

  

  Ill 
  order 
  that 
  those 
  interested 
  may 
  be 
  sure 
  of 
  their 
  "diagnosis," 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  give 
  here 
  some 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  a^jpearance 
  of 
  trees 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  by 
  this 
  plant-louse. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  known 
  at 
  present, 
  the 
  insect 
  re- 
  

   stricts 
  its 
  attack 
  to 
  the 
  white, 
  Scotch, 
  and 
  Austrian 
  pines, 
  and 
  my 
  

   own 
  observations 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  pine 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  preferred. 
  

   On 
  the 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  farm, 
  growing 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  

   pines 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  is 
  a 
  grove 
  of 
  Scotch 
  pines 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   area. 
  These 
  trees 
  show 
  no 
  evidence 
  whatever 
  of 
  injury, 
  though 
  the 
  

   C/irrmei^ 
  is 
  found 
  plentifully 
  on 
  the 
  white 
  pines 
  immediately 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  the 
  original 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  

   was 
  made 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  from 
  specimens 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  white 
  pine. 
  

   Reports 
  by 
  other 
  observers 
  also 
  indicate 
  this 
  preference 
  — 
  probably 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  pine 
  has 
  a 
  smooth, 
  rather 
  tender 
  bark, 
  

   hicking 
  the 
  rough 
  outer 
  bark 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Scotch 
  pine. 
  There 
  is, 
  

   however, 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  under 
  certain 
  conditions 
  this 
  species 
  does 
  at- 
  

   tack 
  the 
  Scotch 
  pine, 
  the 
  observations 
  establishing 
  this 
  fact 
  being- 
  

   made 
  by 
  Professor 
  Herbert 
  Osborn, 
  at 
  Ames, 
  Iowa. 
  Its 
  attack 
  upon 
  

   the 
  Austrian 
  pine 
  is 
  vouched 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  authority. 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  paper, 
  kimily 
  placed 
  at 
  luy 
  disposal 
  by 
  the 
  writer, 
  is 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  special 
  studies 
  

   made 
  by 
  him 
  while 
  a 
  student 
  in 
  eatomologry 
  at 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Hliaois.— 
  S. 
  A. 
  Fokrks. 
  

  

  