354 Fruit Tree Beetle in Ornamental Trees. 



swarmed in all parts of it. There were other kinds of 

 spring flowering trees in the same garden, such as Pyrus 

 Jlortbunda, Pyrus rosea plena, or " Double Crab," and Pyrus 

 japonica ; and it is greatly feared that some of these may be 

 infested by beetles which left the Weeping Apple" during 

 the spring and early summer. There was a slight indication 

 of the presence of the larvae in a branch of Pyrus japonica ; 

 but this was cut away, and it is hoped that the infestation 

 has not spread further. As this attack had never been 

 noticed before in this garden, it is only reasonable to suppose 

 that the insect was brought in the " Weeping Apple " tree in 

 November, 1897. It must have been well established in the 

 tree at that time, as it is almost impossible that it could 

 have wrought such destruction in the course of one year, 

 and this demonstrates the importance of examining trees, 

 shrubs and plants carefully before they are planted. 



The Fruit Tree Beetle was described in the Journal of the 

 Board of Agriculture for March, 1898. It is very small — 

 barely one-tenth of an inch long — black, with russet-coloured 

 wing covers, legs, and antennae. It comes from the galleries 

 made in the wood towards the end of April, and flies 

 to infest another tree, in which it bores a hole and places 

 white eggs. Legless, much wrinkled, white larvae, about 

 one-tenth of an inch long when extended, with chestnut- 

 coloured heads, soon come from these and feed upon the 

 bark. There are at least two generations in the year, and 

 the larvae feed all the winter, pupation taking place in the 

 early spring. 



When trees are seen to be attacked, all branches showing 

 signs of infestation must be cut away at once and burned. 

 In case of bad attack it is better to cut the tree down, and 

 burn every part of it during the winter, to prevent the egress 

 and flight of the beetle in the spring. 



Potato Experiments in Cheshire. 



The Board of Agriculture have received from the Cheshire 

 County Council a report of experiments on potato cultiva- 

 tion, which have been carried out at the Agricultural and 

 Horticultural School at Holmes Chapel during the past thre^ 



