196 



aphis abounds. The use as stocks of such varieties as enjoy immunity 

 from the Woolly Aphis has occurred to our own people, but no such ex- 

 tended experience has been had in regard to any particular resistant 

 varieties. Some of our injurious insects are often worse in Australia 

 than they are with us, and we may expect to reap the benefit of the ex- 

 perience had there with regard to them. This will doubtless be true 

 not only of the Codling Moth but of their peach aphis, which, from all 

 that I can learn, is substantially the same species as that which does so 

 much damage in our lighter soils along the Atlantic coast, and which 

 Dr. Erwin F. Smith, of the Division of Mycology of the Department at 

 Washington, has carefully studied lately and described in great detail 

 as a new species under the name of ApMs persicceniger^ but which I 

 have reason to believe is the Aphis prunicola of Kaltenbach. 



The Italians have been making a very interesting fight against an 

 insect which has threatened their very important and extensive silk in- 

 dustry, by its attacks upon the mulberry tree. This insect was de- 

 scribed by Targioni Tozzetti in 1885 as Diaspis pentagona. It occurs 

 upon a number of different trees, among them the paper mulberry, the 

 spindle tree, the peach, the cherry, laurel, and certain willows, as well 

 as upon the cultivated white mulberry, and it would seem that its taste 

 for the latter tree is one recently acquired, judging from the late date 

 at which the habit has attracted attention. The energetic director 

 of the entomological experiment station at Florence investigated the 

 pest in 1886 and recommended the use of mechanical means at the time 

 of hatching of the young, viz, the scrubbing of the trunks and larger 

 branches with stiff brushes and a subsequent application of a mixture 

 of soap and water with 4 or 5 per cent, of kerosene. 



Professor Franceschini, the editor of the Rivistade Bacchicoltura, rec 

 ommended the adoption of the Balbiani formula as used against Phyl- 

 loxera and consisting of crude tar oil, naphthalin, quick lime, and 

 water, the naphthalin being dissolved in the tar oil, and the water and 

 lime afterward added together. The insect appeared first in several 

 cantons of the province of Como and speedily spread to the adjoining 

 localities. The matter was brought to the attention of the Ministry of 

 Agriculture and a commission was appointed,consisting of Prof. Targioni 

 Tozzetti, Dr. Alpe, and Dr. Andres, who immediately familiarized them- 

 selves with the methods in use in this country and have made extensive 

 experiments with our kerosene emulsion, with our fumigating processes, 

 and with other new remedies. The subject has been taken in hand with 

 great vigor and the Government has interested itself to the extent of 

 appointing inspectors in the different communes in the infested territory 

 and establishing regulations which oblige the immediate report of new 

 localities and the adoption of measures of extinction when ordered by 

 inspectors. These regulations also provide that the inspectors must do 

 the work at the expense of proprietors when the latter refuse to do so ; 

 they prohibit the exportation of leaves from infested localities to others, 



