MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION. 229 



a large number of fine rings. There are four legs, all of which are 

 placed at the anterior end of the body and though small they enable 

 the mite to move rapidly. The head is made up chiefly of a conical 

 snout within which are two lance-like jaws.- To cover a linear inch 

 about 150 mites placed end to end would be required. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



From the eggs which are laid in the galls by the parent mites 

 the young hatch, and, crawling out of the hole, go in search of an 

 uninjured spot in the leaf. Then, boring through the surface they 

 start new galls. The mites remain in the galls until the end of the 

 season when they crawl to the buds and seek shelter for the winter 

 under the scales. 



Some mites remain on the leaves too long and are borne to the 

 ground when the leaves fall. 



MEANS OF DISTRIBUTION. 



Of itself the mite cannot travel far. For distant dissemination 

 it is dependent upon outside agencies and has doubtless been spread 

 from country to country on nursery stock. From tree to tree in the 

 same vicinity they may be carried on the feet of the birds, or blown 

 by the wind on the leaves in the fall of the year. 



REMEDIES. 



The only vulnerable point in the life cycle of this mite is when 

 it is secreted under the bud scales after the leaves have fallen. Prof. 

 M. V. Slingerland found that the mite "can be nearly exterminated 

 in a badly infested orchard by a single thorough spraying of the 

 trees in winter with kerosene emulsion diluted with five to seven 

 parts of water." In all cases of treatment with a spray or winter 

 wash, we recommend that no twigs or branches that have been 

 pruned ofif be left on the ground. 



We recommend that the leaves from infested trees be gathered 

 and burned and not allowed to blow about. 



Having learned from various fruit-growers of the state that they 

 had not found the kerosene emulsion treatment to be satisfactory. 



