246 



THE AMERICAN 



Knots on Apple-trce roots, caused by Root- 

 lice— 5, X. McKinstn/, East Sumner, Ills.— The knots 

 'in the roots of your one-j-ear old apple root grafts are 

 uiiiloubteclly the efl'eot of root-lice punctures. The 

 f:ict thai; tlipy occur nnly on tliosi' !.q-:ilt>: which you 

 liought, and not on tljn-i- uiii. Ii \mii > mi ;-.i-lf grafted, 

 would indicate tluU tin jiaii- w. ic iiilr-ird in the nur- 

 sery from which tlicy caiiic. 'I'lic^r k)iiii^, as well as 

 the roots upon which they occur, will eventually rot, 

 and most of the grafts — not all — will die. There were 

 no lice on those you sent, but if lice still exist in your 

 nursery rows, their presence will be made manifest by 

 the bluish-white down which they secrete. Either root 

 up such infested grafts and destroy them, or try and 

 save them by removing the earth and applying hot- 

 water. In a recent article, the Horticultural Editor of 

 the Prairie Farmer (P. F. May 7, 'TO), states that hot- 

 water cannot possibly be of any practical use, but this 

 statement, like one or two others in tlic same article, 

 is made without sufficient deliberation. It will hold 

 good in reference to large, deep-rooted trees, but we 

 know, from experiment, that hot-water is the best 

 remedy that can be used against these lice in the nur- 

 sery, where the greatest damage is really done. Bo 

 cautious next time, and inspect yoiu- grafts before 

 jilanting. 



Beetles Named— PF. W. Darnells, Madison., Wis.— 

 The smaller beetle which you send is the common Twig- 

 borer (Bostrichus licaudatus). The large gray snout- 

 beetle found eating the apple leaves otfjust at their base, 

 is the New York Wec\il {It/ii/cerus novwhoracensis, A. E., 

 Vol. I, Fig. l."iT). The Missouri Ueports arc sent postage 

 free for tlic price ailvcrtised on page 17!l of the jiresent 

 volume. 



Bag- worm— i/. M. Ilooten, Cmtralia, Ills.— The 

 worms which you found on your peach trees, and which 

 '•carry their houses on their backs and stand on their 

 lieads," are the young larva; of the common ]?ag-wonn 

 (Tli;iridopteryx ephemerfrformis, see p. 3ij). As they grow 

 older they will let their houses hang down. 



XUc Larder Beetle— 5/-. ^V. //. KrieiJelhamjli, Win. 

 —The brown hairy larva- wliich taper from liead to 

 tail, and which are furnished with two short, curved, 

 horny spines on top of the last joint, are the larv;e of the 

 common Larder Beetle, also olten called the Bacon 

 Beetle {Derniestfs Inrdariiis). We never knew them to 

 occur before in bee hives; but, as they feed on feathers, 

 horn, boots, and other such (to us) indigestible sub- 

 stances, it is not surprising that they also relish wax. 

 Those you sent fed ravenously upon it; and, after 

 changing their coats several times, became beetles. The 

 beetle measures about 0.30 inch in length, and is dark 

 brown, with a characteristic pale yellowish-brown band 

 containing six black dots across the iipper half of the 

 wing-covers. 



AVater Bug— Win. II. Ilarringtoii, CUidon. Iowa.— 

 'Ihe long-bodied, brown water insect, with two long 

 but stiff tail appendages, .and with the front jiair of legs 

 somewhat resembling the front arms of the Rear-horse 

 {Mantis), is the Dusky Ranatra (lianaira fiisca. Beauv.) 

 It is tolerably common, and dashes with rapid and 

 sudden jerks over the surface of the water. 



Katydid Eggs- ^a«ora Owen, Ell-hart Cilij, Ills.— 

 The eggs you send are those of the Oblong-winged 

 Katydid. {See A. E., I, Fig. 120.) 



Gregarious IVorms on Horse Cbcstnut-^ Wm. 



S. Hoieard, Forsyth, Mo.— The worms on Horse Chest- 

 nut are, as you suggest, the larva; of Tortrix Rileyana, 

 figured and described in your First Entomological Re- 

 port. The eggs are deposited on the leaves. Yes, it 

 has a parasite, for we have bred an undescribed species 

 of Microdus from it. 



[Fig. 105.] Pupa of the Dislppus Butterfly— 

 Tyra Montgomery, Mattoon, Ills. — The curi- 

 ous brown and cream-colored pupa (Fig. 

 iri,")), with a strange knife-edged projection 

 that is often likened to a Roman nose, is 

 the pupa of the Dislppus ButterUy [Limeni- 

 tis disippus. Godt.) The butterfly is rep- 

 resented at Figure 13.1 of our first volume, 

 and is a tolerably common species. The 

 larva feeds on willow and cottonwood, and 

 passes the winter in a snug little retreat 

 formed by part of a leaf. 



Prickly Rose Gall — ./. Cochrane, Havana, Ills. — 

 The round prickly protuberances found on a wild rose, 

 are galls made by a four-winged fly belonging to the 

 genus Rhodites, and first described by Harris under the 

 specific name of licnlor. 



J. P. S., Tenn.— The green prickly galls with a beau- 

 tiful rosy tint, found so common on one of your wild 

 dwarf roses, are the same as that mentioned above. 



Insects feeding on Sap of BlacR TTalnut— 

 Dr. M. Barrdt, Wauleslio. Wis.- Yes, the flies you send 

 belong to the genus Psociis, and arc the conunon venoms 

 of Burmeister. 



Locust Borer— " .Irlior,' ' Col amhia. Mo.— The horer 

 you refer to is undoiditedly the common Locust Borer 

 {Arhopalus rohiniie). To prevent its attacks apply soft 

 soap to the trunks of your young trees every summer 

 about the first of August. 



To Exterminate Cockroaches — R. F. Weitbree, 

 Birmingham, Ohio.— I've pulverised borax, and sprinkle 

 freely in their haunts. It is harmless to the higher 



TAKE NOTICE. 





eiiclo«ed loose in the letter. Botanisfce like their siKi.inu.ii'i [in_'>SL'(i as Hat as a 

 pancake, but entomologists do not. Whenever possible, iar\'S (i. e. grubs 

 caterpillars, maggots, etc.) should be packed alive, in some tight tin 

 box— the tighter the better—ftlong with a supply of their appropriate food 

 sufficient to last them on thwr joum^ ; otherwise they generally die on tlie 

 road and shrivel up to nothing. Along with the specimens send as fiill an 

 account as possible of the habits of tlic insect, respecting' which you desire 

 information ; for example, what plant or plants it infests ; whether it destroys 



you; what amount of damage it has done, etc Such particulars arc often 

 not only of high scientific interest, but of great practical i 



fflj* Our readers will confer an especi.al favor by addressing a 

 business character to the publisher!!, as the editor has no time 



DRAUGHTSMAN "WANTED. 



address tbe editor 



irientls furnish ther 



>lugy, jiud is 

 pai-tnient uf 

 practice in 

 rs and terms 



