55 



appeared to be that the caterpillars hatched and died at the time of a 

 very severe frost in the middle of May. Mr. Fiske had visited the 

 infested regions and saw the caterpillars after having- hatched from the 

 eggs, and later they had disappeared. He thought there were no 

 parasites that could have been at work during the brief interval 

 between their appearance and disappearance. 



Mr. Alwood observed that many of the entomologists were obliged 

 to give practically all their attention to a few practical problems. He 

 had heard some mention concerning the leaf aphids of the apple This 

 pest had become more and more troublesome in Virginia and it had 

 been his custom to destroy the eggs in winter by spraying with lye. 

 He had felt quite sure that a great many were destroyed in this way. 

 Yet last winter, although the lye treatment had been given, the apple- 

 leaf aphids had developed enormously and threatened to do great 

 harm. It was therefore necessary to spray them with a soap wash 

 as the buds opened. It was his idea that this insect should be treated 

 in winter by destroying the eggs, and the question was brought up to 

 draw out the experience of others in reference to winter treatment of 

 this pest. 



Referring to the woolly aphis of the apple. Mr. Alwood stated that 

 it had become exceedingly injurious in Virginia. Its occurrence in 

 nurseries was the source of considerable concern, and he had not been 

 able to find a practical method of helping the nurserymen. Something 

 was needed that was entirely practical and that could be easily applied 

 to the young growing plants, and not too expensive. He desired to 

 know if anyone had had experience in treating this insect on a large 

 scale. Mr. Alwood also inquired if anyone had actually and positively 

 determined where the female insect naturally deposits her egg. He 

 referred to the considerable literature on this subject, and he had him- 

 self found eggs, which he supposed to be those of this insect, but 

 when hatched the}' were not Schizoneura lanigera. He had been able 

 to secure large numbers of eggs in confinement and a few of these had 

 hatched, but he had never succeeded in raising a stem mother to 

 maturity. He had spent considerable time on the life history of this 

 species, but had never quite completed the life cycle. He desired 

 information on this species, and also why it is this pest develop- on 

 new land in such enormous numbers in the course of a year or two, 

 thus ruining sometimes as much as 75 per cent of the nursery trees. 



Mr. Marlatt said that Dr. Howard had made some careful studies oi 

 Schizoneura lanigera in 1878-79 (recorded in the Annual Report oi the 

 Department of Agriculture, L879, p. 259). These included the discov- 

 ery of the true sexed generation and the winter egg. the latter attached 

 within crevices of the bark. 



Mr. Hopkins called attention to the fact that Mr. Rumsey, oi the 

 West Virginia Experiment Station, had prepared a thesis on \. 



