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attack upon strawberries, and in many parts of Anne Arundel, Prince 
George, and Caroline counties cut the crop fully one-third. 
Graphops marcassitus and Typophorus (Paria) canellus were found on 
strawberries at Lake Shore May 1. Much injury had been done to the 
leaves by the adult beetles, and the plants were in bad condition. 
Regarding the former species Mr. IF’. H. Chittenden, who kindly exam- 
ined my specimens, says: ‘' Graphops nebulosus is said to be the straw- 
berry root-borer in the West, but your specimens found on strawberry 
are evidently not that species but marcassitus.” 
The most prominent orchard pest with us this season has been the ~ 
plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar). The peach crop of the Eastern 
Shore of Maryland is almost an entire failure on account of the attacks 
of this insect. Last year many small peaches and cullings containing 
larve were left in the orchards, and as a consequence the pest appeared 
this spring in unusual numbers. It also stung pears and apples, as well 
as plums and peaches. 
The pear midge (Diplosis pyrivora) has been reported to me from one 
locality in Kent County, and has done considerable damage. 
The San Jose scale (Aspidiotus perniciosus) is still present in alarm- 
ing numbers in the orchards of our State. It has been destroyed in 
several places by the destruction of the trees; but beyond this, we 
have found nothing to eradicate it in old orchards. August 3 I dis- 
covered this pestiferous insect in the heart of the largest peach orchard 
(planted fall of 1890 and spring of 1891) in the State of Maryland. 
The orchard contains 28,311 trees, 13,000 of which are now dead or 
dying. This entire orchard, covering nearly 300 acres, will be uprooted 
immediately and burned. New localities where the scale has gained a 
foothold are coming to light every week. Under the present conditions 
it is doubtful if we can ever exterminate this the prince of orchard 
pests in our State. 
In the course of my investigations, I have discovered a new food plant 
for the San Jose scale. I have found it thickly colonized and in all 
stages of development upon the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), 
which was growing between two badly infested peach trees about 20 feet 
apart and surrounded by ragweeds. This was the only milkweed in 
the vicinity so far as I could ascertain. It was about 3 feet high and 
consisted of five stalks, all of which were thickly spotted with the 
scales. Many young were crawling. The mature females were most 
abundant at the base of the plant. The attack produced the character- 
istic purplish tinge of the bark around the scales. The tinge, however, 
was a little darker than that usually found on apple and pear. From 
these observations it is clear that this scale can breed continuously 
throughout one season on the milkweed; but it is hardly likely that it 
would remain alive on that plant over winter. . 
Last fall I found partially matured insects of the same scale thickly 
clustered on crab grass (Panicum sanguinale) under a badly infested 
peach tree in Carroll County. 
