301 



our own fauna is very rich in gall-producing insects — richer, perhaps, 

 than the European fauna — we do not seem to have in North America 

 any gall-producing Heteroptera. In Europe the galls produced by two 

 species of Laccometopus Fieber (family Tingitidce) on the flower buds 

 of Teucrium chanmdrijs were lirst described by Reaumur in 1738, and 

 since that time these galls have been found on various other species of 

 Teucrium. Dr. Thomas gives a full review of the literature on this 

 subject. 



THRIPID.E INJURIOUS TO CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



In the annual report of the Connecticut A^gricultural Experiment 

 Station for 1889 (1890), p. 180, are two short preliminary notices, appar- 

 ently written by Dr. Roland Thaxter, on two injurious species of 

 Iliripidce. The " rust " of oats which was much complained of in 1889 

 throughout Connecticut proved on examination to be caused, in most 

 cases, not by the fungus rusts {Puccinia coronata and P. graminis) but 

 by a Thrips which is probably identical with Fitch's Thrips 3-fasciata, 

 now referred to the genus Coleothrips. The so-called " white blast " of 

 market onions, a disease which prevailed to a serious extent in all onion 

 growing districts of the State, is caused by an undescribed species of the 

 genus Thrips. In the latter case an application of kerosene emulsion 

 would be a good remedy; for the species injurious to Oats no direct 

 remedy can be suggested. 



It is to be hoped that Dr. Thaxter will soon publish in full his obser- 

 vations on this interesting and important subject. 



WILL IIA3IIE SUPPORT THE SILKWORM OF CO^IMERCE. 



A recent number of the Prairie Farmer quotes from the American 

 Druggist to the effect that a lady of Columbia, South Carolina, reared 

 a brood of young silkworms on Ramie leaves for the reason the worms 

 hatched before the Mulberry or Osage Orange had put forth leaves. The 

 worms fed ravenously and were kept upon this diet until the Osage 

 orange leaves appeared. The worms were then divided equally, one set 

 being fed with Ramie and the other with Osage Orange, with the result 

 that the former produced larger cocoons and a finer quality of silk. We 

 should be glad to receive an authoritative account of such an experiment, 

 as the discovery is a valuable one if true. We have endeavored to se- 

 cure an authentication, but have not succeeded as yet. In spite of the 

 fact that Ramie is closely related to the Mulberry, botanically speak- 

 ing, we rather incline to the opinion that the published statement is a 

 canard. The editor of the American Druggist writes us that the item 

 must have been published in his advertising pages, and that he can not 

 vouch for the reliability of the statement. 



