1900] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 47I 



The New Peach Mite. 



By W. G. Johnson, Maryland Agricultural College. 



I was much interested in Mr. Fuller's account (EnT. News 

 Sept. 99) of the new peach mite, or a similar species, in West- 

 ern Austraha. The characteristic "silvering of the leaves," 

 noted by Rolf and Fuller, has not been noticed by me in this 

 State associated with the new mite. On the contrary, trees in 

 the nursery row^ affected with this mite are easily distinguished 

 by their dense green foliage and the bunching of the twigs. 

 As a rule when the terminal is killed several lateral buds shoot 

 and cause the bunching, while the foilage is very dark green. 

 The amount of the bunching and the color of the foilage de- 

 pend also upon the season. For instance this summer it is 

 more marked in Maryland than last season, as we have had 

 more rain, thus fostering growth. 



The injury still continues about as previously reported, caus- 

 ing dwarfed, crooked, unsalable trees. The extent of the 

 •damage, however, this year is not so great as last, as the mite 

 did not appear until after the young trees had made from two 

 to three feet growth, while last season the most injury was 

 done when the trees were from ten inches to one foot in height. 

 As a result a much larger proportion of trees this season are 

 salable. The mites are still active and ruining terminals in 

 many places. On the 9th inst. I found eggs of this species* 

 behind injured buds in the cavities excavated. 



At the meeting of the Association of Economic Entomolo- 

 gists, in Columbus, August 18, 19, 1899, Webster and Mally 

 reported injury to peach trees by the tarnished plant bug, 

 Lygus pratensis, and were of the opinion that much of the in- 

 jury in Ohio nurseries attributed to the mite was caused by 

 this insect. Dr. J. B. Smith writes recently that he has found 

 a species of thrips in the terminal buds of young trees, injur- 

 ing them, in some New Jersey nurseries. 



Any injury to the terminals of young growing stock would 

 naturally cause " dog legged trees." The injury in Maryland 

 is caused by the mite, which continues to be a serious economic 

 species. 



