81 
grows. This was especially noticeable on persimmons and oranges. 
At the stem end, or wherever two specimens of fruit touched, the pro- 
jecting covering had been extended for a considerable distance. 
On twigs of arbor-vite the ants were able to build a covering for 
the plant-lice by extending it outward onto the rough, flat leaves of 
the plant, and in one instance they had built on both aye upper and 
lower sides of the leaves. 
The entrance to these shelters over colonies on fruit was always 
near the stems, but ants could usually be seen at some place on the 
outer edge repairing or extending the covering or removing young 
scales to new territory. 
The mealy-bugs infesting citrus trees and other fruits and on the 
palms appear to be the same species as the one commonly found in 
the greenhouses in the city—Pseudococeus citri Risso. 
The mealy-bug affecting the sugar-cane on the sugar experiment 
station grounds is, so far as I can ascertain, the same species. Care- 
ful comparison has been made with mounted specimens of Psewdo- 
coccus caleolarie Mask. on sugar-cane from Florida, P. adonidum 
Targ. and P. citri Risso. 
This sugar-cane mealy-bug has increased very rapidly in the last 
two years, and this year a large percentage of the cane was affected. 
The woolly secretions were present in the greatest numbers in the leaf- 
sheaths, but occurred on the stalks from the base up to from 3 to 6 
feet above the ground, and often far out on the leaves, where two or 
more leaves were touching or rested against a cane stalk. Very few 
vere found in the ground among the roots, but the older specimens 
could often be seen traveling over the rough dirt from stalk to stalk. 
The ants were everywhere present among them and were several times 
seen establishing new colonies on cane. 
Ants were found, also, with mealy-bugs on several weeds in the cane 
fields, on grasses, and rarely on ramie. 
I found the ants in boxes of crackers and candies sent directly from 
New Orleans, and while in that city noticed them being packed up 
with several kinds of groceries for shipment to outlying towns. 
A Louisville and Nashville construction-department cooking car 
was visited in New Orleans. This car was in daily use and had been 
for several days located at the point where I saw it. The cook told 
me the ants worried him nearly to death. ‘ Why, they are so thick 
that I don’t get rid of them till I’ve been out on the road two or three 
days.” 
Their present distribution is probably limited by the distance that 
-wholesale goods are shipped locally from New Orleans. While as 
a vet they do not extend all over the city, 1t is a matter of only a few 
Ge at the outside, when the entire residence district will be infested. 
5524_No. 5205 m——6 | 
