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each day, morniDg and evening. I do not agree with you as to the time of disappear- 

 ance. They will feed upon the wheat for several days yet. Last year they destroyed 

 wheat until the grain of wheat was well formed, say the middle of June. Hot suns, 

 warm, dry weather is not favorable to them. 1 sincerely hope we may be relieved from 

 so dangerous a pest, as this portion of Delaware is devoted largely to the growing of 

 wheat, myself and the two adjoining farms here growing 350 acres of wheat. — [H. 

 A. Newland, Middletown, Del., June 3, 1887. 



Reply. — ^ * * The fresh larvae indicate that the species is identical witli one 

 which we received last year from Indiana. We have an agent in the field at Lafay- 

 ette, in that State, who is devoting his entire attention to the subject of graiu insects, 

 and you can rest assured that this species will not be neglected. It promises, as you 

 say, to become a serious pest. — [June 4, 1887.] 



Was it an Accident, or a "Wily Milkman? 



In the bottle that you will get with this you will find something that we got in the 

 milk this morning; the family were made sick lately, as we suppose, from drinking 

 milk, and I send you this in the interest of science in case it is something new to you, 

 as it is to me, and I would be obliged if you would drop me aline stating what it is. 

 [W. W. Ryan, 715 Eleventh street, northwest, Washington, D. C, June 30, 1885. 



Reply. — >^ * ^ Your note of the 20th instant and the bottle of milk duly re- j 

 ceived. An examination of the object in the milk showed it to be the pupa of a 

 small beetle surrounded by a little mass of apparently flour and curds. The species 

 l)roved to be Trogosila maurUanica which is found in flour and grain, and the infer- 

 ence is pretty plain that your milkman diluted his milk with some farinaceous ma- 

 terial. * * *— [July 1, 1885.] 



Cranberry Gall-mites. 



I send you by mail this day a package containing a lot of diseased cranberry vines 

 The disease seems to be a fungus growth, and seems likely to destroy the vines. 

 Will you be kind enough to have it examined and also inform me what it is, and any 

 remedy that may occur to you ? — [John H. Brakeley, Bordentowu, N. J., July 12, 188'. 



Reply. — * * * -phe small pinkish excrescences are the galls of a gall-mite of 

 the genus Phytoptas. These insects will be difficult to destroy as they can not be 

 reached at this season of the year by any application, as they are inclosed within the 

 galls. Do they appear to be wide-spread, or is the damage confined to a comparatively 

 few vines? If it can be determined when the mites first appear in the spring they 

 can then be destroyed by the use of a little sulphur, but we shall be unable to indicate 

 the proper time until the history of this particular species has been studied. So far 

 as we can find oat at present it is something new. — [July 15, 188/.] 



Second Letter. — ^ * # Asyet I have heard of these diseased vines appearing 

 on only one bog. The disease has spread considerably there. I have advised the 

 proprietor to keep a look-out for a very small fly, which may betray itself by its 

 numbers. 



Reply. — * * * "It will be a waste of time for the proprietor of the cranberry 

 bog which you mention to 'keep on the lookout for a very small fly which may be- 

 tray itself by its ninnbers,' as the producer of the gall sent by you, with your pre- 

 vious communication, is not a small fly, but a true Mite. If the disease of the leaves has 

 appeared only upon one bog, of course a very satisfactory way of getting rid of tho 

 pest, for some time to come, will consist in picking the leaves from the entire bog and 

 destroying tluMu by fire. Your association and the pro})rietor of the bog can best 

 determine upon the desirability of going to this expense, but it seems to me it will 

 pay you to assist him in this matter. It is possible also that by carelnlly watching 

 the leaves and ascertaining when the uralls bejrin to eraek and the adult insects to 

 issue, a long flooding of the bog will result in the destruction of a great number of 

 the Mites. "—[July ll», 1887.] 



I 



