72 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I916. 



Adults become abundant by the middle of July and from this 

 time forward the nymphs decrease in number rapidly till by 

 the last of July practically all are in the adult stage. The first 

 matings were observed July 30th, the mating individuals rest- 

 ing on grass leaf about one inch from the ground. 



But little mating was observed however and it appears that 

 this is deferred to late in the season and while oviposition was 

 not observed it is pretty safe to conclude that egg deposition is 

 carried on slowly during late summer and early autumn and 

 that the eggs remain undeveloped till the following spring and' 

 hatch, probably in May or early June, reaching maturity in 



July. 



Control. 



It is evident from the habits of this species that it must be 

 treated in a different manner than most of the common leaf- 

 hoppers of timothy meadows as the fact that it is so completely 

 protected under the grass or even down in the sod makes it 

 difficult to reach by the hopper dozer method. It is also doubt- 

 ful whether it will be as much affected by burning over as 

 some of the other species although this will depend upon 

 whether the eggs are deposited so as to be exposed above 

 ground or well protected down in the crowns of the plants. 

 Exact determination of place of egg deposition is desirable in 

 this connection. 



■ There can be little question that rotation is a most effective 

 treatment for the species. There is apparently very little mi- 

 gration of the adults from one field to another and even if 

 some movement should occur, plowing in late fall or early 

 spring would serve to very effectually destroy all eggs. A very 

 good evidence of the effectiveness of rotation is found in the 

 fact that the species has been found only in old timothy mead- 

 ows, the worst cases in fields that had been in grass for many 

 years and that none at all have been observed in fields of only 

 two or three years in grass. 



Of the natural enemies found with the species it would appear 

 th-dt the spiders must be the most effective as they are abundant 

 in the fields and they work down among the bases of the grass 

 plants where they have excellent opportunities to feed upon the 

 hoppers. 



