408 



and shortly afterwards iu thousands on a fig tree close by, one of the common Ficus, 

 I also found Nos. 4 and 5 on this tree when I had it cut down. The tree was literally 

 smothered with the cottony-cushion blight, No. 3. I could find none of No. 2 on the 

 Ficus, although it was in close proximity to the Galba, but I found No. 2 on the cocoa 

 trees, sour eap {Anona muricata), hog plum (Spondias lutea), Galba (one of the Sapo- 

 taceee), and on a wild vine, name unknown. I hope I have found what you want, 

 but doubt it ; if not, will try again. I also send in tin box some woolly cocoons that 

 were found in numbers in the Cassava leaves. They seem to be full of eggs. — [H. 

 de C. Hamilton, Plymouth, Montserrat, West Indies, November 11, 1890. 



Reply. — I have sent you by today's mail a copy of No. 3, Vol. iii, of Insect Life, 

 upon pages 99 to 103 of which you will find your insect described as Icerya montserra- 

 tensis. I opened your box with a great deal of interest, hoping to find that the "fly" 

 found by you in the vicinity of the Galba tree was a male of the Icerya. I was dis- 

 appointed however to find that it was a beetle of the genus Eros, a very much larger 

 insect than the male Icerya. I found, however, male larvse, and if you will kindly try 

 another sending of living Iceryas we may yet succeed in getting the male. The fig 

 tree is infested by another cottony scale belonging to the genus Pulvinaria, species 

 uudescribed. The two insects which you call Lady-birds do not belong to that group 

 of beetles, but to the closely allied leaf-beetles. The one is a species of Luperus and the 

 other seems to be a species of Monocesta. Neither of these is carnivorous in habit. 

 I am much obliged for the additional list of food-plants of the Icerya, and shall be 

 glad to learn from you just how much damage is being done by this species and 

 whether a remedy seems to be necessary. The objects which you call woolly cocoons 

 are masses of the small cocoons of a parasitic insect of the genus Apanteles, the larvas 

 of which have probably issued from some large caterpillar and spun their cocoons in 

 these masses in the Cassava leaves. One of these objects, however, wg^s the case of 

 a so-called bag- worm, and of this I should be pleased to receive further specimens if 

 you can get them without too much inconvenience. — [December 10, 1890.] 



The Desirability of Importing the Blastophaga for the Smyrna Fig in Cali- 

 fornia. 



I have recently noticed a newspaper clipping from your paper referring to the ex- 

 periments made by Mr. F. Roeding, of the Fancher Creek Nurseries, and Mr. George 

 C. Roeding, the manager, with the cross fertilization of the Smyrna fig and the Capri 

 fig. This Department is anxious to correspond with one of the Messrs. Roeding on 

 this subject, and would like very much to know their post-office address. Our prin- 

 cipal object at present is to find out how many Capri figs they have growing in their 

 nurseries, how large they are, and whether they are growing close together, in order 

 to judge as to the possibility of establishing the fertilizing Blastophaga of Europe in 

 this country. I inclose a return envelope and beg that you will drop me a line giv- 

 ing me the address of the jDarties mentioned. — [November 18, 1890, to editor of the 

 Fresno Expositor, Fresno City, California. 



Your favor of the 18th instant to the editor of the Fresno Expositor has been handed 

 over to me by that gentleman, and in reply I will say that I have many thousands of 

 the wild or Capri figs, as well as the true Smyrna, having imported from Smyrna 

 several thousand cuttings of each variety, as well as a number of cuttings of other 

 varieties, mostly table figs. Three years ago we sent our superintendent to Smyrna 

 for the express purpose of obtaining these figs ; he remained there 4 months, and 

 after having made a close study of the modes of drying, packing, etc., went into the 

 Aidin district, where the best Smyrna figs are grown, and not only secured cuttings 

 of the Cebeli or commercial figs, but also obtained a large quantity of the wild figs. 

 Over 30,000 cuttings were secured, but half of these were left at the London docks 

 on account of the heavy freight charges, the remainder having been shipped to 

 Fresno, arriving May 24, 1887, in good condition, although they were 7 months on the 

 road. 



