THE OLIVK IN ITALY. fi5/5 



and on the leaves. When in a state of reproduction it lays thousands 

 of eggs, seeming as excrescences of the trees. The male Coccus looks 

 different from the female, as shown in (Fig. 31), enlarged. 



TiQ. 31. — Cocciniglie mascliio e femma ingrandite. 



In the month of May the female lays about 1,000 eggs, which it covers 

 and then dies, thus protecting the future progeny with its corpse. 



The eggs under such protection open one month later and precisely 

 in June, giving life to larvae which develop in the bed formed by the 

 mother skeleton. 



The Coccus, attached to the branches and leaves of the tree not only 

 sucks its juice, but prepares the tree for conditions favorable to the de- 

 velopment of a fungus called "antennaria olseopUila," "cladosporium 

 fumago," or " torula olese," which darkens all the plants with black, 

 and makes it look lurid-like. 



In Sicily the olive plants are often invaded by the Coccus, and more 

 especially on coasts fronting the African Sea. 



According to the Gasparin and Roches method of destroying the in- 

 sects, it seems that sulphur sprinkled on the attached plants, as it is 

 done on the vines for the crittogama, is a good remedy. 



La Tignuola (Tinea oleae) is also an enemy to the olive plant. This 

 belongs to the Lepidotteri family. Its butterflies are very small, with 

 grayish wings and mostly marked with whitish spots — (Fig. 32, enlarged. ) 



FlO. 32. 



The evening moths, which ordinarily come to our house todie, bnrnedat 

 the candle flame, are " Tignole. " The grubs are very small, voracious, 

 and causeimmensedamage. Their generation is as follows: Inthespring 



