140 



Insect Pests. 



plauts, althmi-li tlie Aj.l^is fitrhli iirutluced young artificially on 

 Meadow Foxtail, nii<l ^^as fo'iml on otlier grasses. Tliis liears ont 

 what we see is s:ii<l t(i oceiir in America and explains their sudden 

 departure Iroin the a]iples and later return. 



rilKVEXTIiiX AM) TllE,\TMEXT OF Aj'I'LE Al'IIIDES. 



The incjuiries received regarding treatment come from all parts 

 of the country. :\Liny growers say washing witli parattin ennd.sion i.s 

 of little use. Thrs is certainly true, as the ova of any one species I 

 tiud hatch ver\- uueveidy, and the result is, many lice have damaged 

 Inuls ami blossom and eurled leaves, whilst others are coming out, 

 and thus a ceitaiii number escape the wa.sh. If we wash as soon as 

 thev beuin to hatch it is no good unless we are prepared to go on 

 evei'y dav for jierliaps sevi'i'al weeks, an impossilde process. <_»nly a 

 penetrative wash will get into tlie lice pro- 

 tected by curled leaves. 



After many experiments I eventually 

 have come to the conclusion the most vulner- 

 able time in the life-liistory of these plant 

 lice is wdien in the sexual stage in the 

 autumn. "When we find the small Vjiugiess 

 or winged sexual fomrs under the leaves is 

 tlie time to kill them. At this time a heavy 

 paraffin emulsion may be used, as the leaves 

 are of little value and it does not matter if 

 we burn them. The Apple Aphides are then 

 killed before they lay their eggs, and their 

 future attack is guarded against. The emulsion must not be put on 

 with much force, as the leaves may lie knocked off. The tree should 

 have it good spraying, ami the ground below ^^■ell w"etted and also 

 the trunk, the (.iviparous females will then lie killed. 



I am confident that u nt iiniiKiI sjjrai/ini/ for these pests is most 

 essential. If it is more troublesome it does good, and the usual 

 spra}'ing when ttie leaves are curled is often waste of time and 

 money, especially where we have more than one kind of aphis at 

 work. For the attack of ApJiis jifcJiii, early spraying is, of course, of 

 use, as this species feeds openly, but r.ot for juniii and sorhi, which 

 curl up the leaves as soon as they open. AVhen the leaves are curle<l 

 the best A\'asb to use is the tobacco wasli. 



All pruuin,L;s sliould be rigorously burnt before j\Iarch. Many 

 eggs are thereby destroyed. 



]\lr. Bear of .Alagham Down, ITailslann, wrote me on the loth of 



[F. A'. 



FIG. ll.'i, — A l'.\l;.\^ITE 

 TIIK .VPri.]'; .VI'JIIS. 



(Oixatly till 



