89 



least until the abruptness of the ascent liad been greatly diniiuislied.* 

 Then, instead of corn or grain cut oil' and laid in the box. we used grow- 

 ing millet taken direct from the Held and cut off to about three inches in 

 height and set in the botioin of the box as thickly as possible. I found 

 that l)y this means we kept more of the bugs on or about the ])lants, 

 avoided mold to a greater extent, and also the trouble of continually 

 rechalking the sides of the boxes, though, of course, iii time the bugs 

 would roll down a portion of the dust barrier aud climb over it. I may 

 here state that on August 1 received a large consignment of live 

 chinch bugs to be used in our infectiug boxes. These were from Northui), 

 (iallia County, in the extreme southern part of the State, and the greater 

 part of them were very youug. not yet having thrown ofif the red color, 

 and there were thousands of them, showing that the second brood of 

 young were present in great numbers. 



In March I received the plum scale, whatever the name of this species 

 may linally prove to be, from several localities in Ohio, and in one case 

 in such abundance as to cause alarm. The pest was even more abun- 

 dant on the twigs than the dangerous cases indicated by Mr. Slinger- 

 laiid in his bulletin treating of this pest. Promptly on receipt of the 

 specimens tlie locality was visited and many trees found to be very 

 badly infested. Spraying with kerosene emulsion was recommended. 

 This was done, but later examinations of a large number of scales by 

 myself revealed the fact that not over 50 per cent had been killed, thus 

 leaving the pest uncomfortably near the danger line in point of num- 

 bers, and later plenty of the young were found moving about during 

 the middle of the day. From what I was told at the meeting of the 

 Kational Association of Nurserymen at Indianapolis in June, by several 

 Xew York fruit growers, it was clear that unless some unforeseen aid 

 came we would have trouble. On July 3 I visited two of the worst 

 infested orchards in Ottawa County, but failed to discover any young, 

 though, according to Mr. Slingerland's studies, these should be present 

 about that date. July 25 these same orchards were again visited, and 

 with the closest and most patient search I was only able to find an 

 occasional young, either on the twigs or foliage. Now, all of this relates 

 to two plum orchards that were badly infested with this plum scale last 

 year, and the living young were very numerous this spring, even after 

 having been treated with kerosene emulsion. I secured some young 

 trees from the same locality aud transplanted them into the insectary, 

 stocking them with scale larv{\3 brought from one of the infested 

 orchards. Soon after the young had established themselves on the 

 young trees in the insectary there a])peared from out of the old 

 females that remained on the twigs brought fioui the orchard numbers 

 of Coccophagus JJaroscutellum Ashm., and these began to oviposit in 

 the bodies of the young, and continued to do so until it seemed that 



* This idea originated with Mr. E. E. Bogiie, who was iiiy temporary lissistaut from 

 July 16 to September 16. but not afterwards employed. 



