﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  op 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  197 
  

  

  segmental 
  lines, 
  that 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  caudal 
  termination 
  of 
  

   the 
  body. 
  On 
  the 
  lower 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  and 
  near 
  its 
  

   end, 
  is 
  a 
  forked 
  member 
  (a 
  spring-tail), 
  which 
  lies 
  folded 
  up 
  

   against 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  and 
  reaches 
  as 
  far 
  forward 
  as 
  the 
  

   head, 
  in 
  which 
  lies 
  its 
  leaping 
  power. 
  Its 
  feet, 
  six 
  in 
  num- 
  

   ber,are 
  united 
  apparently 
  to 
  the 
  frontof 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  which, 
  

   from 
  a 
  ventral 
  xiew, 
  exhibits 
  a 
  rudimental 
  sternum, 
  com- 
  

   pensating 
  for 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  usual 
  in 
  insects. 
  

   This 
  insect 
  has 
  neither 
  wings 
  nor 
  wing 
  covers, 
  and 
  from 
  a 
  

   top 
  view 
  might 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  a 
  small, 
  black 
  spider 
  by 
  a 
  

   novice 
  if 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  that 
  a 
  spider 
  has 
  eight 
  feet, 
  and 
  

   that 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  thorax 
  are 
  confluent, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  tho- 
  

   rax 
  and 
  abdomen. 
  These 
  insects 
  are 
  capable 
  of 
  bearing 
  a 
  

   low 
  temperature, 
  and 
  are 
  frequently 
  found 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  snow, 
  from 
  whence 
  comes 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  snow 
  flea." 
  

   Tobacco-growers 
  complain 
  of 
  these 
  pests 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  " 
  black 
  fly," 
  " 
  black 
  spider," 
  etc. 
  Their 
  larval 
  and 
  pupal 
  

   histories 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  unknown. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  

   states 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  but 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior. 
  They 
  appear 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Lancaster 
  county,. 
  

   Pennsylvania, 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  June, 
  but 
  by 
  

   the 
  first 
  of 
  July 
  they 
  have 
  disappeared, 
  and 
  nothing 
  more 
  

   is 
  seen 
  of 
  them 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  spring. 
  As 
  a 
  remedy 
  

   flour 
  of 
  sulphur 
  has 
  been 
  highly 
  recommended. 
  These 
  

   insects 
  are 
  very 
  delicate 
  in 
  their 
  structure, 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   taken 
  between 
  the 
  fingers 
  without 
  crushing 
  them. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  

   evident 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  stages 
  of 
  their 
  development 
  must 
  be 
  

   passed 
  underground 
  and 
  not 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  it 
  is 
  

   suggested 
  that 
  where 
  tobacco-beds 
  are 
  not 
  burned 
  the 
  soil 
  

   be 
  prepared 
  early, 
  thoroughly 
  pulverized, 
  and 
  copiously 
  

   drenched 
  with 
  scalding 
  water 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  times 
  in 
  as 
  

   many 
  days 
  before 
  the 
  seed 
  is 
  sown. 
  

  

  From 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  come 
  reports 
  that 
  the 
  

   flea-beetle 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  persistent 
  and 
  most 
  dreaded 
  enemy 
  of 
  

   the 
  young 
  tobacco 
  plants. 
  Several 
  species 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  

   are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  every 
  farmer 
  and 
  gardener 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   of 
  Mexico 
  to 
  Canada. 
  The 
  cabbage 
  flea 
  {Hallica 
  striolata) 
  is 
  

   found 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina 
  and 
  Tennessee 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   March 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  April, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers, 
  

   in 
  the 
  newly-planted 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  seed- 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  plants. 
  Dr. 
  Rathoon, 
  of 
  Pennsylvania, 
  

   describes 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Epiirix, 
  family 
  Halticice, 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  The 
  Epitrix 
  aucumeris 
  is 
  black 
  all 
  over, 
  except 
  

   13 
  

  

  