STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
853 
BIRCH. LEAVES. 
5. THE BIRCH —Betula lent a, etc. 
AFFECTING THE LEAVES. 
The several kinds of bireli appear to be the least infested by insects of 
any of our forest trees of the deciduous class. This fact recommends them 
strongly to public favor as ornamental trees for parks and pleasure grounds, 
they being also easy of cultivation though rather slow in their growth. 
They probably owe their immunity from insects to the spicy essential oil 
which imparts to their bark so pleasant a flavor. I know of no borer in 
the wood or bark of the birch, and very few worms which feed upon its 
leaves. Occasionally the V-markf.d measure worm, $ 39 has been noticed 
in this situation and two or three other larvae of small moths whose perfect 
state is not yet known. A few insects which puncture the leaves and green 
succulent twigs to sip their juices and a single beetle eating the leaves, are, 
according to my observations, the only insects which are oftener met with 
upon birch than on other trees, and are therefore to be considered under 
this head. 
357. Triple-rowF.D Crioceris, Syneta tripla, Say. (Colcoptcra. Ciioceridco.) 
In May and the fore part of June, eating the leaves of this and various 
other trees, an oblong chestnut-brown and closely punctured beetle, with 
wing-covers usually pale dull yellowish except on their suture and their 
punctures forming about three rows between each of the three raised lines, 
its length 0.25 and about a third as wide. A common insect in our State. 
358. Variable leap-hopper, Athysanus variabilis , Fitch. (Ilomoptcra. Tettigoni- 
idro.) 
Puncturing the leaves and succulent shoots and extracting their juices, 
from the middle of June till the middle of July, an oblong oval leaf-hopper 
of a sulphur yellow color, its wing-covers commonly with an oblique black 
stripe, their tips hyaline, its thorax and scutel often tawny yellow or black, 
its length 0.20. 
This insect may every year be met with in numbers upon birch trees and 
also upon alders. It was once found literally swarming upon a white birch 
standing apart from other trees. 
350. Smaller leaf-hopper, Athysanus minor, Fitch. 
From the middle of June till the middle of August, a similar leaf-hopper 
to the preceding, but of a cinnamon color, including its face, and having a 
colorless hyaline spot on the middle of its wing-covers and a larger one on 
their tips, its length 0.18 to 0.20. 
300. Windowed LEAF-noppEn, Athysanus fencstratus, Fitch. 
From the middle of June till the last of July, a leaf-hopper resembling 
the foregoing species, but with blackish wing-covers with similar hyaline 
spots and a smaller third one plaoed on the middle of the inner margin, 
