258 CONIFEROUS TREES 



becomes unhealthy, and frequently dies off pre- 

 maturely. Trees growing in low -lying, heavy 

 ground would seem to fall a ready prey to this 

 insect. Bostrichus lands is nearly allied to the 

 former, but its devastations, which are, however, 

 not very deadly, are principally confined to the 

 Larch. It is usually known as the '' larch blight.'' 

 Spraying with Bordeaux mixture has been suc- 

 cessful. 



Pine Shoot Moths {Retinia huoliana and R. 

 turionella) would seem to be more plentiful in this 

 country than is generally supposed. Quite lately 

 we visited a large plantation of young Scotch 

 Pine, the terminal buds of which were greatly 

 injured by the caterpillars of these elaborately 

 coloured moths. The moth lays its eggs at the 

 base of the buds, and into these the caterpillars 

 enter by hollowing out the centre, thus destroying 

 the vitality and causing them to take on a withered 

 appearance, and to feel soft and empty to the 

 touch. Trees infested by this insect resemble 

 greatly, in their stunted shoots and exudations 

 of resin, such as have become a prey of the Pine 

 Beetle ; only in the latter case it is the fresh young 

 shoot and not the bud that is attacked. The 

 Retinia would seem, from notes and observations, 

 to be most abundant in what might be termed 

 neglected pine plantations, that is, where the 

 trees have suffered from overcrowding, and if 

 growing under unfavourable conditions as to soil, 

 etc., and particularly when the wood is composed 

 entirely of one species. There is no method of 

 dealing with large infested areas, for the attacked 

 trees have repeatedly been cut over and removed 



