1910] Notes on Insect and Fungus Pests. 



215 



Pear Thrips. — Towards the end of April a correspondent 

 in the parish of Uppington, near Wellington, Salop, sent 

 * for examination a small quantity of 

 Notes on Insect damaged pear blossom, with several 

 an( l insects suspected of causing the injury. 



Fungus Pests. The insects i nc l u ded two Tortrix cater- 

 pillars, the male of the Pear Midge, 

 and one specimen of the tiny beetle, Meligethes aeneus. In 

 addition to these, however, at least twenty specimens of 

 Pear Thrips were found, to which undoubtedly the greater 

 part of the injury may be assigned. So far as the Board have 

 any records, this is the first case of Pear Thrips found causing 

 injury in England, though two similar cases have been 

 noted by Carpenter in Ireland, and the pest has been 

 recorded as injurious in America. As a remedy against this 

 insect tobacco as a spray might be employed, though it is 

 not certain that the liquid would reach the thrips in the 

 blossom. Theobald and Pickering recommend 3 lb. of 

 tobacco powder to 10 galls, of water. It is probable that 

 this would also act as a deterrent to the midge, and, at 

 any rate, the blossom would not be injured. 



Damage to Clover by Eel-worm and Clover Midge. — 

 A correspondent at Roxford, Hertingfordbury, Herts, for- 

 warded a small parcel of clover roots, badly infested with 

 eel-worm. The maggots of a clover midge, Cecidomyia 

 trifolii, were also present in large numbers, and in general 

 the plants were so seriously attacked that the only course that 

 could be advised was the destruction of the crop. 



Currant Black-Knot. — A remarkably bad attack of Currant 

 Black-Knot (Plowrightia ribesia, Sacc.) was reported in a 

 garden near Cambridge, and a further attack soon afterwards 

 was declared at Swavesey in the same county. It was also 

 discovered in a garden in Middlesex. The trees in the first 

 case were very seriously attacked, and about one-third had 

 already died. Of the remainder about three-quarters were 

 obviously affected. Cases of this disease appear to be more 

 common than was originally supposed, though fortunately 

 there is at present no sign of an epidemic. The disease is 

 described in Leaflet 213. 



Corky Scab. — Several further cases of Corky Scab (Spongo- 



