4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July t, 1897. 
able and regular, but tolerant and dignified school. 
We well recall during our first year in Colombo, the 
handsome figure, highly intellectual countenance 
and cool attire— dressed all in white even to the 
short “white jacket” now only seen at dinner 
time — of Mr. Edward Barley as he moved about the 
Fort during business hours. He had previously 
taken a prominent part in the Colombo Chamber of 
Commerce and served for a time in the Legislative 
Council. He was in somewhat close communica- 
tion with the late Sir K. h. Morgan and A. M. 
Ferguson, all three being selected as his Executors 
by Dr. Christopher Elliott ; and w'e know what a 
very high opinion was entertained by our “ senior” 
then and always, of the probity, keen sense of honour 
and great shrewdness of Mr. Barley. After some 
26 years of good work in Ceylon, Mr. Barley — 
having made his fortune by investments in Tinne- 
velly cotton during the American War — finally 
retired to the old country, carrying with him 
the esteem and regard of all who knew him as 
essentially a useful Colonist, an honest merchant 
and a good man. 
Agricultural Pests : 
WITH METHODS OF PREVENTION. 
BY MISS E. A. OKilEROD, 
(Late Consulting Entojiologi.st to the 
Royal Agkicultukal Society of 
England.) 
VII. 
Aphides, Scale Insects, Plant-Bugs, Ac. 
This tribe includes the Corn Aphis fA. granaria ) 
which infests the young stems of corn and the 
growing wheat-ears; the green dolphin, as it is 
called, of the peas ; the collier of the beans ; the 
hop aphis, which in 1882 caused a loss of more than 
a million and a half pounds sterling to this country ; 
the turnip and cabbage aphides; the black cherry- 
tree aphis, and many other kinds too numerous to 
name at present, besides the white cottony aphis 
of the beech, and the genus known as pine aphides, 
some of which are cottony, and some have a hairy 
covering. With regard t.i what we know at present 
of means of prevention, our best course is, if we 
can, to nip the evil in the bud by destroying the 
very first aphides that appear. This plan is con- 
stantly carried out in field management with regard 
to the bean aphis. When the colliers, as they are 
called from their black colour, appear on the tops 
of the bean shoots, these infested shoots are cut off. 
If the shoots and colliers on them are destroyed, 
the attack, or at least a great deal of it, will be 
stopped ; but if, instead of carrying off the fragments 
and destroying them, they are only thrown on the 
ground, the black aphides will walk, or fly, back 
again to the growing beans, and the laDour will 
have been in great part lost. 
This same plan is useful throughout the summer 
for all plants or trees, such as ap;l , plum, cherry, 
or others, in which aphides, or green fly, as they 
are often called, collect in great numbers on shoots, 
which may be cut eff without hurting the plant. 
Thus, if the shoots and aphides on them are 
properly destroyed at once, we get rid of centres 
Irom which attack is constantly spreading to do 
present harm. Also we may thus lessen the amount 
of next year’s attack. It is the autumn brood cf 
males, and females which provide the eggs to start 
the attack of the following year; and, therefore, 
anything which lessens the production of broods is 
useful. The shoots, however, should always be 
destro 5 'ed at once, not merely thrown aside to wither 
gradually, whilst their infesting hordes gain wings 
to go home again. A healthy, yet not rank growth, 
is one great means of lessening the bad effects of 
aphis attack ; as in the case of other insect attacks, 
the plant is thus supported through its troubles. 
But there is a further reason. It has been found 
that aphides come to maturity more rapidly when 
the plant growth is stunted, or the aphides them- 
selves are so numerous, that it may be presumed 
the nature ef the sap is different to that in the 
full flow of the healthy shoot, or the aphis is rather 
shortened of its food. Necessarily, maturity coming 
sooner, the successive broods are more rapidly 
produced, and the numbers greater. 
Where we can tell with certainty that some species 
of aphis migrate at a special season, from one kind 
of plant or tree to another, we have a most service- 
able method of prevention in our hands. It does 
not seem now to be open to doubt that a great 
part of the yearly attack of bop aphis, or “fly,’, 
comes on the wing from sloe, damson, or plants of 
the plum tribe. This was long ago stated by 
German entomologists, and laid down by at least 
some of our hop-growers ; and in 1884, after careful 
axamination of specimens of aphides both from bop 
and plum, and reports from hop-growers (noted at 
length with figures in my Eeport for that year), 
I mentioned that there appeared to me to be reason 
to believe that the great attack, which usually occurs 
in the form of “fly’’ about the ei d of May, comes 
on the wing from damson and sole, as well as from 
the hop. 
In 1887, the late Professor Eiley (Entomologist 
of the Department of Agriculture ot the United 
States), set the matter of migration from plum to 
hop beyond doubt by his obse. vations, of which a 
part was read before our own British Association; 
he stated that : — “ I hurodoii /ao/iH/i hybrrnates in the 
winter egg state, this egg being fastened to the twigs 
(generally the previous year’s growth) of different 
varieties and species of I'runus, both wild and cul- 
tivated,’’ Prom the winter egg Professor Eiley found 
the female, the mother of the coming tribe, was 
hatched, the winced descendants of which female 
take flight to the plum. The existence of many 
generations on the hop, during summer, we are 
all well acquainted with ; but during Professor 
Eiley ’s stay in Europe, and more especially in England, 
he personally observed the point not previously 
worked out, of the autumn migration of the hop 
aphis, back from hop to plum, at the close of 
autumn. These observations, coming from such a 
high authority as Professor Eiley, give thorough 
confirmation to the belief previously held as to mi- 
gration,; but still, Ido not think that in this country 
the whole of the attack comes on the wing from 
plum, damson, or sloe, because (amongst other reasons) 
we have found aphides — that is, wingless females and 
lice— on hep as early as the end of March and the 
beginning of April, long before the attack coming 
on the w'ing made its appearance. 
The hop aphides may be distinguished from the 
plum aphis, and from others of ihe AphiduuF, by 
the horns being hardly longer than the body, to- 
gether with the lowest joint being toothed, or gib- 
b ms, and the tubercles on the forehead each having 
a strong tooth. The legs are short, and the honey- 
tubes long. Where there chance to be a large quantity 
of sloes, as, for instance, sloe hedges in the neighbour- 
hood of hop-gardens, these at least might be got rid 
of without loss. 
The number of remedies — such as solutions or 
mixtures of tobacco, paraffin, quassia, or other 
applications in the form of washings or syringings 
— are endless, and recipes are not given here, as 
these applications lie in the special province of the 
hop-giower. It may, however, be noted that some- 
times washes fail in effect from the operator not 
being aware that in the case of many aphides the 
skin is covered with a kind of mealy coating, which 
throws off watery applications. Consequently, it 
often happens that unless the washing lodges 
amongst the aphides so as to kill them, or, agai w 
