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tree begins to assume a rusty appearance, the disease showing itself at 

 the points where the young shoots made effort to break through the 

 bark. I have never known a tree killed by the ravages of this insect, 

 but it is useless so long as it is left to them. I know no natural enemy 

 to this insect. 



The one other insect to be noticed resembles the squash bug, and 

 is called by the entomologist of the Department of Agriculture 

 Euthoctha Galeator. This insect is very bold in its attack. I have 

 watched them frequently in their operations as they were lying in the 

 hot sun basking, while their probosces were inserted in the tender 

 shoots. I have held my magnifying glass within a half or three- 

 quarters of an inch from them and had the finest opportunity of 

 observing the operations of this bold enemy of the orange. I have 

 seen the tenderer shoots wilt, when the insect was sucking them, from 

 the extremity to the point at which this insect had inserted its probos- 

 cis. As this insect is larger than the spider, the injury inflicted by it 

 is much more speedy. But when the shoot is older and more vigorous 

 the effect is very similar to that produced by the spider. Both these 

 insects are more apt to attack trees starting young shoots at periods of 

 the year when the grove is not generally making new wood. As they 

 cannot pierce the old wood they seek for the tenderest. This accounts 

 for the impression that stimulating or forcing a tree produces the die- 

 back. 



The Euthoctha Galeator is fond of concealing itself under litter of 

 any kind during the night or cold weather. Mulching around a tree 

 is an attractive covert from which they start forth, when the sun 

 begins to shine warmly, to the nearest tender branch. This has caused 

 others to conclude that mulching was the cause of die-back. But so 

 far as the observation of the writer has extended the insects above 

 mentioned are the main cause of this troublesome disease. 



There is another form of this disease arising from an entirely dif- 

 ferent cause, to be noticed in the next chapter. As no natural enemies 

 to either of these insects are known, watchfulness on the part of the 

 orange grower is alone to be relied upon for their destruction. They 

 should be caught by hand or in a net and killed. The insect last 

 described is very apt to conceal itself under litter during the winter. 



