﻿FIELD AND FOREST. 67 



spicuous root-leaf is on ; the difficulty has been to find it in its flow- 

 ering condition, which does not occur until long after every trace 

 of the leaf has disappeard, and careful observation has proved that it 

 is only under peculiar circumstances that it blooms at all. so shy and coy 

 does it appear to be. And when it does send up its brown scape so 

 near the color of the leaves through which it peers, and open its brown- 

 purple flowers with scarcely a different hue, it is a rare chance if any 

 botanist happens to detect it during the brief period of its evanescent 

 existence in this state. 



For several years Mr. Ward, Prof. Doolittle and Mr. J. M. Com- 

 stock of this city, have carefully watched the phases of this plant 

 and marked with the greatest care all the principal localities where it 

 is found in this vicinity, but have heretofore only succeeded in secu- 

 ring enough flowering specimens to supply the local demand. The 

 new locality and from which they hope to supply exchanges, is on the 

 Virginia shore of the Potomac not far above the Three Sisters. The 

 exact time for collecting it in flower seems to be the last week in July. 



Sinea Multispinosa. — This insect, belonging to the true bugs, 

 hitherto supposed to be only beneficial, by destroying plant lice, and 

 other insects injurious to vegetation, is reported as doing considerable 

 damage to apple orchards, reports coming from as remote points 

 from each other as Morris County Texas, and Mifflin County Pa., one 

 orchardist in the first named locality losing his entire apple crop 

 through their ravages. In Texas this is the first year they have ever 

 been seen, but in Pennsylvania they appeared last year in small num- 

 bers, and the present season many orchards are ruined by them. 



They make their first appearance in June (earlier at the South) and 

 continue troublesome for six or eight weeks. The blossoms are first 

 attacked, and killed out, after which they "sap" the limbs often to 

 the trunk. 



The small twigs of new growth suffer most, though the insects sting 

 or puncture the older wood to a certain extent ; wherever they operate, 

 the bark turns a light brown, and the twig dies in a few days. When 

 the insects are not at work on the twigs they lie concealed in the 

 dried up leaves. It was noticed in Texas that young trees two or 

 three years old, that did not bloom, escaped injury, and appear per- 

 fectly healthy. 



