﻿659 
  

  

  they 
  are 
  known 
  as 
  pests 
  both 
  of 
  apples 
  and 
  pears, 
  and 
  though, 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  Lygus 
  pratensis, 
  ¥., 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  not 
  those 
  

   found 
  in 
  Europe, 
  the 
  t}^e 
  of 
  injury 
  is 
  much 
  the 
  same, 
  and 
  doubts 
  also 
  

   exist 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  exact 
  species 
  which 
  does 
  the 
  damage, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  

   serious. 
  Primary 
  damage 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  puncture 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  bug 
  

   in 
  feeding, 
  either 
  from 
  the 
  direct 
  loss 
  of 
  sap 
  or 
  possibly 
  from 
  the 
  

   direct 
  injection 
  of 
  some 
  irritant 
  material, 
  the 
  result 
  being 
  distorted 
  

   and 
  misshapen 
  fruit. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  apples, 
  the 
  injury 
  takes 
  place 
  

   very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  possibly 
  before 
  the 
  blossoms 
  open. 
  The 
  

   bugs 
  appear 
  to 
  feed 
  equally 
  on 
  the 
  young 
  fruit, 
  fohage 
  and 
  young 
  

   shoots, 
  though 
  the 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  the 
  serious 
  feature. 
  Damage 
  

   to 
  both 
  fruit 
  and 
  fohage 
  is 
  completed 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  though 
  

   the 
  bugs 
  continue 
  to 
  puncture 
  the 
  fohage, 
  httle 
  further 
  harm 
  seems 
  to 
  

   ensue. 
  The 
  injured 
  fruit 
  is 
  almost 
  unsaleable, 
  and 
  cases 
  have 
  been 
  

   seen 
  in 
  which 
  30 
  per 
  cent, 
  to 
  50 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  stated 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  affected, 
  without 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  fruit 
  which 
  was 
  so 
  damaged 
  

   that 
  it 
  fell 
  before 
  reaching 
  maturity. 
  The 
  attack 
  appears 
  also 
  to 
  

   maintain 
  a 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  intensity 
  for 
  several 
  consecutive 
  years 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  orchard. 
  In 
  England 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  these 
  bugs 
  are 
  very 
  

   local 
  in 
  the 
  numerous 
  districts 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  occur. 
  Psallus 
  ambiguus 
  

   was 
  found 
  in 
  quantity 
  in 
  both 
  affected 
  and 
  unaffected 
  orchards, 
  and 
  is 
  

   therefore 
  ehminated 
  from 
  consideration. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  brown 
  or 
  red 
  

   species 
  and 
  was 
  common 
  wherever 
  apples 
  were 
  grown. 
  According 
  

   to 
  Theobald, 
  Atractotomus 
  mali 
  is 
  responsible 
  for 
  damage 
  in 
  

   Kent, 
  but 
  of 
  seven 
  orchards 
  examined 
  it 
  was 
  absent 
  in 
  two 
  

   affected, 
  present 
  in 
  two 
  others, 
  and 
  also 
  present 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  an 
  unaffected 
  orchard. 
  Two 
  other 
  species, 
  Plesiocoris 
  

   rugicollis 
  and 
  Orthotylus 
  marginalis, 
  were 
  both 
  present 
  in 
  two 
  

   of 
  the 
  affected 
  orchards 
  and 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  cases 
  of 
  attack, 
  

   one 
  or 
  other 
  was 
  present. 
  They 
  were 
  also 
  absent 
  from 
  an 
  unaffected 
  

   orchard, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  in 
  Worcester, 
  where 
  0. 
  marginalis 
  was 
  

   recorded 
  as 
  present 
  from 
  two 
  specimens 
  only. 
  It 
  would 
  therefore 
  

   appear 
  that 
  one 
  or 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  injury, 
  

   and 
  this 
  was 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  confirmed 
  by 
  an 
  experiment 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  

   a 
  Worcester 
  orchard. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  trusses 
  of 
  fruit 
  were 
  selected 
  

   and 
  sleeved. 
  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  were 
  enclosed 
  with 
  some 
  

   and 
  carefully 
  excluded 
  from 
  others. 
  Those 
  trusses 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   bugs 
  were 
  excluded 
  developed 
  sound 
  fruit, 
  whilst 
  others 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  were 
  enclosed 
  sustained 
  t}'^ical 
  Capsid 
  damage. 
  The 
  hfe-history 
  

   of 
  either 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  According 
  to 
  Butler, 
  they 
  appear 
  

   rather 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  larvae 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  July, 
  and 
  

   adults 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  in 
  August. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  

   second 
  generation. 
  The 
  author 
  inchnes 
  to 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  apple 
  

   has 
  somewhat 
  recently 
  been 
  adopted 
  as 
  a 
  food-plant, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  

   change 
  has 
  brought 
  about 
  an 
  alteration 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  insect. 
  Inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  damage 
  is 
  done 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  insects 
  

   leave 
  the 
  egg, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  any 
  spray 
  treatment 
  must 
  be 
  carried 
  

   out 
  at 
  exactly 
  the 
  right 
  time, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  contact 
  poison 
  must 
  be 
  used. 
  

   Nicotin 
  and 
  soap 
  have 
  given 
  fairly 
  good 
  results 
  in 
  America, 
  provided 
  

   the 
  trees 
  be 
  very 
  thoroughly 
  drenched 
  and 
  the 
  spray 
  applied 
  both 
  

   before 
  the 
  blossom 
  opens 
  and 
  after 
  it 
  falls. 
  A 
  wash 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  was 
  

   only 
  partly 
  successful 
  in 
  England, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  benefit 
  

   whatever, 
  the 
  reason 
  given 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  bugs 
  hatched 
  out 
  over 
  a 
  long 
  

  

  (C88) 
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