September, 1921 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



23 



excrement covered by a layer of whitish 

 wax secreted by pores around the anal 

 opening. In the mature state the insects 

 possess two pairs of transparent wings. 

 They also acquire the power of leaping 

 considerable distances. It is this habit that 

 has given the family, to which this insect 

 belongs, the popular name of "jumping 

 plant lice" to distinguish it from the ord- 

 inary plant lice or aphids which insects 

 they somewhat resemble, but which do not 

 possess this ability. When they first 



after hatching as we can aphids, whicli, 

 upon emergence from the egg, cluster at 

 the tii)s of the buds and are therefore 

 readily destroyed. 



The insects feed, at first, at the base of 

 the leaf or flower stalk, the flattened form 

 of their body enabling them to wedg^ 

 themselves well down into the axil of the 

 stalk. They remain thus for some time 

 sucking the juice from tlie plant and ex- 

 creting copious quantities of the sticky 

 secretion or "honey dew" already re- 



Blossom Injury. 



Nymphs and adults on leaf. 



emerge the adults of both sexes are green- 

 isli or yellowish green, but as the season 

 advances, they take on a more brilliant 

 coloring, much more pronounced in the case 

 of the female. 



Habits and Seasonal History. 



The insects emerge when the buds of 

 most varieties are about half open, and 

 immediately they hatch, they make their 

 way into the buds. This is the reason that 

 we cannot control them by spraying just 



ferred to. As they, approach maturitv they 

 move out and feed all along the flower and 

 leaf stalks and even upon the blade of 

 the leaf itself. 



The total interval between hatching and 

 the adult state is from four to five weeks. 

 The adults remain upon the trees feeding 

 slightly, but doing no apparent damage, 

 until late in the fall, even after several 

 severe frosts. Egg laying, however, does 

 not commence until September, the females 



