25° 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



THE ROSE LEAF-HOPPER. 



c fer'?* 



Fig. 564. 



Its body 



HE leaf-hoppers form a large and interesting family of the true bugs. 

 They are especially distinguished by the long third joints of the hind 

 legs, which are covered and irmed with a row of spines on each 

 margin. These long legs enable them to leap rapidly and some dis- 

 tance, a fact to which their common name of leaf-hopper is due. 

 Nearly all of them are small and slender insects with blunt or 

 pointed heads of the shape shown at Fig. 564. They feed upon a 

 large number of plants, being especially abundant upon the y 

 grasses of pastures and meadows, where they frequently rise t 

 in swarms as one walks along. Professor Herbert Osborn v 

 has lately estimated, after a careful study of the subject, that 

 one-half of the available nutriment from pastures often goes 

 down the throats of these little pests. Probably no leaf- 

 hopper attracts more general attention the country over than 

 the one infesting rose bushes. Nearly half a century ago Dr. 

 Harris wrote : "There is a little leaf-hopper that lives upon 

 the. leaves of rose bushes and is very injurious to them. In 

 its perfect state it is rather less than three-twentieths of an inch long, 

 yellowish white, its wing covers and wings are white and transparent, and its 

 eyes, claws and piercer brown. The male has two recurved appendages at the 

 tip of its hind body. Swarms of these insects may be found in various stages of 

 growth on the leaves of the rose bush through the greater 

 part of summer, and even in winter upon house plants. 

 Their numerous cast skins may be seen adhering to the 

 under side of the leaves. They pair and lay their eggs 

 about the middle of June, and they probably live through 

 the winter in the perfect state concealed under fallen leaves 

 and rubbish on the surface of the ground." Fig. 565. 

 The nymph or pupa of the rose leaf-hopper is shown some- 

 what magnified at Fig 564, while the dult, also enlarged, 

 is shown at Fig 565. The back of the pupa is protected 

 by numerous elongated spinoes hairs. The injury to the 



I leaf is manifested by the appearance of numerous white 

 specs on its upper surface. This pest is easily destroyed 

 in its immature stages by pyrethrum, kerosene emulsion, or some form of 

 tobacco. — C. M. Weed, Ohio Expert Station. 



Fig. 565. 



