152 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Lygus lxneolaris. 



gins its depredations. Concealing 

 itself within the young leaves of the 

 expanding buds of the pear, it punc- 

 tures them about 

 their base and along 

 their edges, extract- 

 ing their juices 

 T A-^HI^U ^^th. its beak. The 



1 /HEmX puncture of the in- 

 sect seems to have 

 poisonous effect, 

 and the result is to 

 disfigure and some- 

 times entirely de- 

 stroy the young 

 leaves, causing them to blacken and 

 wither. These insects are also partial 

 to the unopened buds, piercing them 

 from the outside, and sucking them 

 nearly dry, when they also become 

 withered and blackened. Sometimes a 

 whole bunch will be thus affected, 

 being first stunted, then withering, and 

 finally dying. Early in the morning 

 these plant bugs are in a sluggish con- 

 dition, and may be found buried in the 

 expanding leaves, but as the day ad- 

 vances and the temperature rises they 

 become active, and when approached 

 dodge quickly ' about from place to 

 place, drop to the ground, or else take 

 wing and fly away. In common with 

 most true bugs they have, when han- 

 dled, a most disagreeable odor In the 

 course of two or three weeks they dis- 

 appear or cease to be sufficiently in- 

 jurious to attract attention. It is 

 stated that they deposit their eggs on 

 the leaves, and that later in the season 

 the old and young bugs may be found 

 together. The young bugs are green, 

 but in other respects do not differ from 

 their parents, except in lacking wings. 

 While they seem particularly partial 

 to the pear, they attack also the young 

 leaves of the quince, apple, plum and 

 cherry, as well as those of herbaceous 

 plants. Remedies. — First of all, clean 

 culture, so as to leave no shelter for 



the bug in which to winter over. 

 When they appear in spring, shake 

 th6m from the trees very early in the 

 morning while they are in a torpid 

 state and destroy them.'' 



It is to be hoped that some more 

 speedy method of destroying these in- 

 sects, and one adapted to counteracting 

 their ravages in this their newly-found 

 field of destruction may be speedily dis- 

 covered. 



CLETHRA ALNIFOLIA. 



The engraving which we give of this 

 shrub will give our readers a better 

 idea of the appearance of its flowers 

 and the form of its flower spike and 

 leaves than it is in our power to 

 give by any verbal description. We 

 call attention to it again, because it is 

 extremely hardy, capable of enduring 

 our wintei*s with impunity, and be- 

 cause its season of bloom is so late as 

 to make it very desirable on account of 

 the scarcity of shrubs in bloom at that 

 time, and its period of bloom is so pro- 

 tracted as to make it a very ornamen- 

 tal object on the lawn for several 

 weeks. But it is more especially our 

 bee-keepers to whom we desire to com- 

 mend this shrub. The honey it yields is 

 of the finest quality, and is produced 

 in great abundance, and that at a time 

 when the flowers of spring and early 

 summer are gone, when the bees have 

 gathered their supplies from the bass- 

 wood and white clover. This shrub 

 affords them a bountiful supply during 

 a period of the year when it is. very 

 difficult for them to obtain any. We 

 believe it would be a very profitable 

 investment for those who are interested 

 in the production of honey to plant this 

 shrub b^^ the hundred or thousand in 

 order to su])plement the honey yielding 

 plants that are to be found in this 

 country. This shrub commences to 

 bloom at an early age, can be trans- 



