SAGO RACY ave at ak tne % Hy “ay 4 x aN » G a2) Se} TORE DS wuts » » on) Rek 3 SENS eats WYN YAY: : ai IS MG UN D AMS A y "| ve a § Bay iF AN FSMD NUN RAN ‘ Ne au a an < yy s a e. s e les < ¢ « 3 4 a ts I s C] s s 4 C Bs rw Ww Sy yt vi ee Rs = : A) = A) PEE fa \ R= rey ES 1) “| J \ 2. ] a PS RS BBR F A) ec? ey protest ear —— Sal Wa a ere ry ae — atl Ke & ee 4.478 Ba o’.2. 6) @.81 eS na) erence) 2R WeGibson-invi~S9e Bis B39 Uh 4 - an A ty 4 . ps ‘ re , ae ey ee arty ot ila YA A Ae ee MS yy a re Af Bers | wy é Cornell University — Agricultural Experiment Station. SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Agricultural Experiment Station. FFE ACA “Ni -y¥. 180 3. _ TRANSMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE FEBRUARY 16, 1894. ALBANY : JAMES B. LYON, STATE PRINTER. 1894. hare, yf kr, aa we i Rec ee Re ayy. BS rigs Be gil be A ets Rimi: Caen sate 2 a Se ' é z LS { ‘4 RS ACAI) esa / STATE“OF’ NEW YORK: No. 22. IN SENATE, Frsruary 16, 1894. SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ir: AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION OF CORNELL . UNIVERSITY. STATE OF NEW YORK: ExrcuTivE CHAMBER, Arsany, February 16, 1894. To the Legislature : I have the honor to transmit herewith the sixth annual 4 ort of the Agricultural Experiment Station of Cornell = versity. ROSWELL P. FLOWER. Pia hee OF TRANSMITTAL Cornett University, PRestpEN1’s ass Irnaoa, N. Y., February 12, 1894. To His Excellency Rosweit P. Flower, Governor of the State of New York: Srr.—I have the honor to transmit to Your Excellency the sixth annual report of the Agricultural Experiment Station - of Cornell University, conformably to the requirement of the act of Congress of March 2, 1887, establishing the station. I have the honor ‘to be your obedient servant. J. G. SCHURMAN, President of Cornell University. ORGANIZATION. Board of Control.—The Trustees of the University. STATION COUNCIL. President — JACOB GOULD SCHURMAN. EMORY A Etoe Es WY ELE Baa so Vite byand c's 60's foe «ol eeela eel oi Trustee of the University. Hon. JOHN B. DUTCHER............ President State Ayricultural Society. eas MELO ES HIER D oct tes. Sst Feo) cua AS Gore e so) Mee tletets Professor of Agriculture. MEraRCe CASE SLD VW SB UMG Ma's, 375) ovale? Satste alm Wie stchcfe onyfcipsaiel gies lokerr? Professor of Chemistry. LY) HLS a AG a eat Sigale Sahat ts Professor of Veterinary Science. PAIN sR ERE ANGIE GS SS) 15 shezalast tral svaidtcyapifel coat cereverevels legate « Professor of Botany. BPE ROVE DOOR 235 82. hictere dle stato adierw.cdo S sestb epee Professor of Entomology. EES ATT BV.) Glercite alc wets ole te « aciosWtiee) siretere Professor of Horticulture. Pee ade) WSR INC oho caine}. ye otha so snes Assistant Professor of Dairy Husbandry. AG ECA IUINSON soi cicceleisso:fe:0 Assistant Professor of Cryptogamic Botany — OFFICERS OF THE STATION. ME eOECC REY BIER a5 Att. Sache o Lostels, a: ototolsin «)e mn tincMtde vie islets mole terala Director. ERB INEGY SET: WW ILIN Greater ei srclare ie arelataercle © ls bbe Deputy Director and Secretary. E. L, WILLIAMS .......... 00. cece ccc eee cece eee eee e eee eee ee Treasurer. ASSISTANTS. HUTA tees Nerd IN Cy ERAN DD esi Soave ae! chive et ec elena foloreisl ale ersie ofe lola te Entomology. REED Ro WV ANE SOI 461 ic Sohdds wie ais Caw wmud elas Mite ape ov lepine Agriculture. ENV ROA ANA CGE ho oo os wile els aie ces SO PS Tees Sg EL: Chemistry. Bar LO DENMAN 23.05 aieb see coals oe fe. dy yt fates > Sal amine a eA CLM ae Horticulture. Office of the Director, 20 Morrill hall, Hy We Report of the Director. To the President of Cornell University : Srr.—I have the honor to transmit herewith my sixth annual report, with those of the treasurer and chemist, the botanist and arboriculturist, the cryptogamic botanist and plant pathologist, the entomologist, agriculturist and horticultur- ist, together with a detailed statement of receipts and expen- ditures for the year and an appendix of twelve bulletins. The matter contained in these bulletins is of such prime importance that I deem it not only a privilege but a duty to call your special attention to the published investigations of the year. While the funds of the station remain so lim- ited it is impossible to publish all that we would like to; hence many experiments begun as early as 1888 have not been written up, though they have been continued and prob- ably will be for some considerable time to come, as the longer experiments are carried on, especially those by the “nlot system” in the fields, the more valuable they become. The year’s investigations have embraced a large amount of both practical and scientific work, and I am pleased to say that the quality of the work is steadily improving. This year’s publications have been not only of a high scientific character, but they will be found to be exceedingly useful to the farmers of the State. Bulletin No. 50, the first one of the year, treats of, the bud moth. This insect has done a large amount of dam- age to the apple crop, and I am certain that the careful il 10 AgrioutturAL Exprrment Station, Iraaoa, N. Y. investigation of the habits of this pest and the remedies discovered for preventing its ravages, will be highly appre- ciated by all fruit growers. The second publication of the year is on “ Four New Types of Fruit.” These new fruits may not be superior to some of the old standard varieties, yet all additions to our fruit list add variety and create new demands. So, even though the new varieties may be somewhat inferior to stand- ard old varieties, they often fill vacant places and become of considerable value in some localities. Then, too, experimenting with new varieties is always likely to lead to valuable facts con- cerning old established varieties. Bulletin No. 52 is entirely devoted to the dairy interests of the State. It is in brief the results of a year’s investigations into the’ cost of producing milk, and the variation in individual cows. No bulletin yet published by any agri- cultural experiment station, so far as I have been able to learn, has set forth so clearly and emphatically the fact of the wide variation in the cost of milk production due largely to a single cause, the individuality of the animal. Our dairy is largely composed of high grades, most of which were thought to be superior cows, yet the cost of producing 100 pounds of milk ranges all the way from one dollar and forty-eight cents to forty-four cents. Milk throughout the State wholesales at an average of about one dollar per hundred weight. It will be seen that two of the cows in the herd were producing milk at a loss, while many of them were producing at a profit of more than 100 per cent. What was true of the milk production was equally as true of the fat production. These investigations also empha- sized the subject of feeding of cattle, the cost of the several kinds of food, and the amount of production in gross pounds of milk and in net pounds of butter fat. Since the animals experimented PN RRS EAM oe iC I eh eva) OP re hiss Sal ~~ 7 , ¢ _ , 1’ Report oF THE D1REoTOR. 11 with were aE of the expensive sort, but selected grades, the bulletin becomes a practical treatise on the production of milk and butter fats for the dairymen throughout the entire United States. “The Gidema of the Tomato” was treated of in Bulletin No. 53. As the tomato is in universal cultivation, being in every garden and plantation throughout the State, any disease which affects this plant should of necessity receive immediate and care- ful attention. The cryptogamic botanist has made a very care- ful and extended study of this new form of plant disease; the summary contains instructions for its prevention. : No publication of the year has brought to us so many requests as the little bulletin of sixteen pages on ‘“Dehorning.” »f Report oF THE TREASURER. 15 We, the undersigned, duly appointed auditors for the corpora- tion, do hereby certify that we have examined the books and accounts of the Experiment Station of Cornell University for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1893; that we have found the same well kept, and correctly classified as above, and that the receipts from the treasurer of the United States for the time named are shown to have been $15,000 and the corresponding disbursements $15,000, for all of which proper vouchers are on file, and have _ been by us examined and found correct. HB LORD, GEO. R. WILLIAMS, Auditing Committee Board of Trustees. I hereby certify that the foregoing statement of account to which this is attached is a true copy from the books of account of the institution named. } EMMONS L. WILLIAMS, , Treasurer. ‘STATE OF NEW YORK, County or TompxIns. | 88.1 On this twenty,first day of December, 1893, appeared before me Emmons L. Williams, personally known to me to be the per- son whose signature is attached to the above certificate, and | acknowledged that he executed the same. he 8.] HORACE MACK, Notary Public. ‘ Report of the Chemist. z . During the year 1893, as in the preceding year, practically all 4 -the work done in the chemical laboratory of the station was for _ the Divisions of agriculture and horticulture by the assistant _ as chemist, Mr. G. W. Cavanaugh. . aa The most important part of this work consisted in the quan- c titative analysis of seventeen samples of manure and fertilizers, a four of fodder, forty-four of milk and twenty-nine of sugar e beets. The analysis of ten samples of Paris green is nearly com- i pleted at the time of the writing of this report. e | G. C. CALDWELL, 2 Chemist. Pe a Cg « : x ey) M4 : Pi nae Report of the Botanist. The botanical work of the station, as heretofore, has been wholly devoted to the investigations of the diseases of plants. This has been carried on by Prof. Atkinson, whose report is -inelosed. While there are other botanical questions, the consid- eration of which would come well within the scope and purpose of the station, the one referred to above is of such paramount importance at the present time that it seems wise to devote the entire efforts of this division to its study. ] were taken out, adding at least ten per cent to the crop. The season was somewhat dry, and the strong new growth in the rows where they were left, of course, absorbed a great deal of moisture from the soil, and may account entirely for the reduced yield here. In a general way, also, the fruit was a little earlier where the new canes were taken out.” In general, it may be said that our results fully agree with those of Mr. Hale. The young canes were removed in both cases about the time the plants were in blossom. Forcing Raspberries and Blackberries— When the ground began to freeze in the fall of 1892, several strong raspberry and blackberry plants of bearing age were dug about and when frozen, the ball of earth, with the plant, was lifted and transferred to boxes about 20 inches square in the forcing-houses. They were placed in a cool or lettuce-_ house and came on very slowly, the temperature evidently being too low for them, and no fruit ripened before April. One plant placed ina warmer house came on much more rapidly. As spring approached, bring- ing higher temperature and more sunshine, the plants began to blossom freely. At first, no hand pollinating was done, but it did not take long to prove that no perfect fruit would be formed without it, and after- wards the flowers were pollinated as they appeared, with good and per- fectly normal fruit as the result. This can be quickly done by knock- ing off the pollen and catching it in a small watch glass set in a convenient handle of wood. The pistils are then dipped in this pollen in the same way in which tomatoes are pollinated. (See page 52, Bulletin 28.) With young plants started in boxes or large pots in spring so as to be well established when transferred to the forcing-house in the fall or winter, there seems to be no reason why good crops of raspberries and blackberries can not be grown under glass. They appear to require a comparatively high temperature, however, and demand artificial pol- lination. Thinning the Fruit.— To test the feasibility of thinning berries, rows of Cuthbert raspberries and Early Cluster blackberry were thinned by clipping off the tips of most of the clusters, and also by reducing the number of clusters, especially in the raspberry. The result was not encouraging, for the eye could detect no increase of size in the berries on thinned plants, and as the principal object was to increase the size and attractiveness of the fruit, it seems to have failed of its purpose. It should be said, however, that the season was favor- able for berries and the crop was very fine. In a very dry season or RaAsPBEeRRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. FAI with varieties much inclined to overbear, the result might be different. In general, however, the thinning can be managed well enough and much more cheaply by regulating the amount of bearing wood at the annual spring pruning. Autumn Fruiting.— Certain varieties of raspberries possess a strong tendency to bear fruit in autumn on wood of the present season’s growth, and it is sometimes recommended to take out the old canes in spring in order to induce this habit. To determine whether our com- mon varieties would yield to this treatment, plants of Fontenay, Cuth- bert and Shaffer were simply mowed off with a scythe in the spring of 1893 before the young canes started. The results are very definite, if not encouraging. The young canes have made a vigorous growth, but not a single cluster of flowers has appeared on either the Cuthbert and Shaffer plants. There are two or three fine clusters of fruit among the Fontenay plants thus treated, but this is one of the European varieties which are characterized by more or less continuous fruiting throughout the season. Just as good clusters are to be found and apparently as many of them where the plants have been treated in the ordinary manner. The only advantage in autumn fruiting is the production of a small amount of fresh fruit for family use late in the season, but this trial seems to show little prospect of forcing tardy fruiting by means of encouraging a late seasonal growth. Liffect of Spraying on Pollination.— It is generally supposed that rainy and cloudy weather at blossoming time is injurious to the fruit crop, and the question occurs whether frequent spraying with water at this period would produce any noticeable effect. On June 15, 1892, spraying was begun on Uaroline, Cuthbert and Turner raspberries. At that time the ‘‘aroline was well in bloom, while the others were scarcely beginning to bloom. The spraying was’ continued until July first two to four times each day when the weather was bright and pleasant, but omitted when there were rains to take its place. Showers were fre- quent during the period, but were well interspersed with bright weather and sunshine, The results were entirely negative, showing no effect whatever from the spraying. The fruits on this portion of the row were just as per- fect and abundant, and the plants appeared to suffer no more from fungous diseases than those not sprayed. It is to be noted, however, that the conditions were not the same as those present in continuous 7 cloudy weather, for during much of this time the weather was bright, and insects were numerous and continued working among the blossoms 212 AgricutruRAL Exrrerment Station, Iraaca, N.Y. regardless of their being wet so that opportunities for pollination were good. The test is of interest as showing that there need be no fear of inter- fering with pollination by spraying for insects or diseases, even if necessary to do it at blossoming time. Of course, it should not be done at that time, ordinarily, on account of our friends, the bees. Diseases.— Frequent inquiries are received at the Station in regard to treatment of the fungous diseases which prove such serious enemies to berries, and it is greatly to be regretted that so little information can be given concerning them. Of some of them we are ignorant even of the cause, much less of any method of prevention. ‘There is enough work to be done in studying the diseases of this group of plants alone, to occupy the exclusive attention of any expert mycologist. The three serious diseases which I have met the most frequently are the familiar red-rust of the leaves and twigs, the anthracnose or pitting of the canes, and an apparently undescribed root-gall. The red-rust (Cooma nitens) is one of the diseases which proves very disastrous to black raspberries and blackberries in many sections. Fortunately, this is comparatively well understood and concerted ener- getic treatment on the part of growers will eradicate it. Studies made under the direction of the Department of Agriculture have shown that it possesses a perennial mycelium which lives over winter in the plant, and develops with the young canes the following spring. ' The truth of this statement was verified here in a very simple way. In the summer of 1892 a single blackberry bush was found in our plantation affected with this disease. On June 23, all the canes of this plant were cut off close to the ground. New ones immediately sprung up which to the eye appeared perfectly healthy. The following spring, however, at the usual season, the leaves and twigs were covered with the well known orange-red color, showing that the fungus had been continuing its growth all along within the tissues of the plant, ready to develop its spores at the proper time. With this one fact in the life history of the fungus in mind, it is easy to say that a plant once attacked is doomed, and that no amount of treatment can ever eradicate the disease from its tissues. Spraying may prevent the germination of some of the spores which it scatters abroad, but that is all, and it is far more effec- tive and cheaper to begin at the source and prevent their production in the first place, by rooting out and burning every diseased plant the moment it is discovered. It may Also be necessary to look after the wild raspberry, blackberry and dewberry plants in the viciaity, for if theygare numerous and badly affected the disease may spread from them faster than from any other source, RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. 218 The anthracnose. (Gla@osporium venetum) is another serious disease with which we are not so well able to scope. It has been found by studies at the Connecticut station that a hyphz of this fungus do not extend from the old to the new canes as in the red-rust, so that if all diseased portions could be cut away it would doubtless prove an effec- tive remedy. The fungus isso general and indiscriminate in its attacks, however, that in most cases this is wholly impracticable. It is difficult to combat it with spraying also, for the reason that it is so hard to get all portions of the canes protected with a coating of the material used. Professor Green, of Ohio, who has made some experiments, finds reason for encouragement in spraying with Bordeaux mixture, but believes it will be found necessary to begin with young’ plantations and treat them thoroughly every year. This disease is usually first noticed upon the canes as discolored and sunken patches, although it may attack the leaves also. When the injury to the canes is well seated, the berries fail to mature and dry up and hang on the stems, and the growth is slight and sickly. The disease is wide-spread. (See Fig. 9 in Bulletin XIX). Another disease is becoming quite prevalent on our grounds and has also been observed elsewhere, which manifests itself’ by large knotty swellings on the roots. So far, we have observed it only on Turner and Hansell raspberries. Its cause seems to be a mystery as no insect or fungus has been found in connection with it. Affected plants lose their vigor and productiveness and it is common in the rows affected. So far, the only thing that can be said’is to avoid setting plants which show such swelling on the roots. I am afraid that this disease is more common and widespread than anyone knows. Weak and unproductive patches in berry plantations should be examined for this root-gall. In some parts of Western New York a root-gall of insect origin has been serious, but the present disease appears to have a different source. The Dewberry of the Pacific Coast.—Within the last two or three years, varieties of dewberries which are wild upon the Pacific slope have been introduced to cultivation. These dewberries do not appear to have been studied and they have not been referred to their botanical species. The Skagit Chief and Belle of Washington were received from Washington (State) and planted in the fall of 1891. They have made a very long slender growth, lying flat upon the ground, and in appearance they are very different from the eastern dewberries. The Skagit Chief blossomed this season and it proved to be pistillate , with no stamens or polien whatever. These varieties belong to the species Rubus vitifolius, of the Pacific coast. This is a very peculiar 214 Ag@ricvttuRAL Expurimenr Sration, Irmaoa, N. Y. species because some of the plants bear only pistillate blossoms with abortive or rudimentary stamens, others bear staminate flowers, while still others are perfect flowered. This fact, together with the varia- bility in other charaeters of the species, led to much confusion among the earlier botanical writers, the two sexual forms having been described as different species. In 1827 Chamisso and Schlechtendal described one form of the species as Rubus vitifolius.* At the same time, on a later page, another form was described by the same authors as Rubus ursinus. In 1833 it was again described, this time by Douglas as Rubus macropetalus. All the blossoms of the Skagit Chief observed this year appeared to be purely pistillate. The plants were in blossom June 2d, considerably in advance of the other dewberries and blackberries, and as a matter of course set no fruit. If all plants of the variety are pistillate, like ours, it is useless to plant it alone, and no doubt equally useless to plant it with our common varieties, for not only is the blossoming period different, but it is doubtful whether pollen from so different a species would prove effective in fertilizing it, if present. The Belle of Washington dewberry belongs to the same species as the Skagit Chief. This did not blossom here this year, so that we were unable to learn the character of its flowers. If this should prove to be a perfect or staminate form the two may be planted together with some hope of success. RECAPITULATION. 1. Black raspberries can be made a profitable farm crop when grown for evaporating purposes, and gathered by the aid of the berry har- vester, regardless of proximity to markets. An average yield with good culture is about 75 or 80 bushels per acre. 2. An average yield of red raspberries is about 70 bushels per acre. An average yield of blackberries is about 100 bushels per acre. 3. A majority of growers find low summer pinching of blackberries best for most varieties. 4, Growers are about equally divided in opinion as to whether red raspberries should be pinched back at all in summer. If pinched, it should be done low and early. ‘The canes should be made to branch low. 5. Evaporating red raspberries has not yet proved profitable. . *RUBUS VITIFOLIUS, Cham. & Schlecht. Linnza, ii. 10 (1827). R. ursinus Cham. & Schlecht, l.c. 11. R. macropetalus, Douglas, Hook, Fl. Bor.-Am. i. 178 (1888). RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. 915 6. There seems to be no immediate prospect that blackberries can be profitably grown for evaporating purposes. 7. Berry canes which made their entire growth after July 6th, stood the winter as well or better than those which grew during the whole season. 8. Removing all young canes from a plantation bearing its last crop of fruit materially increases the yield. 9. Raspberries and blackberries can be successfully grown under glass, but require artificial pollination and a comparatively high temperature. ev: 10. Under ordinary conditions, thinning the fruit of raspberries and blackberries other than that done by the spring pruning, does not pay. 11, Cutting off the bearing canes early in spring does not induce autumn fruiting of raspberries. 12. Frequent spraying with water throughout the blossoming period did not interfere with pollination and subsequent fruit production. 18. The only remedy for red-rust is to dig up and burn at once every plant found to be affected. Cut away and burn all canes affected with anthracnose pits and spray the plantation with Bordeaux mixture. ioot-galls weaken the plants, causing them to appear as if suffering from poor soil. Removing the plants and burning the roots is the only remedy. 14, The dewberry of the Pacific slope is Rubus vitifolius. This species often bears imperfect or pistillate flowers. The Skagit Chief bore pistillate flowers with us and was therefore infertile with itself. FRED W. CARD. kt ae Bit eo TR ¥ il Speen Riis Lik Hao Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. ENTOMOLOGICAL DIVISION. BULLETIN 58— OCTOBER, 18932. THE FOURLINED LEAF-BUG. 28 ORGANIZATION. Board of Control.—The Trustees of the University. STATION COUNCIL. President — JACOB GOULD SHERMAN. ler Nate IE): 4 WELL ida cSue hare Start piotepee vg Trustee of the University. Hon. JOHN B. DUTCHER.... President State Agricultural Society. fre ODL EILS.... ts BN eet 8 Ss Abr wer Professor of Agriculture. Cr Ce 72M 7 OD 6 Of OF Oa rene eh rte a Professor of Chemistry. GTS LAA WS 5k Sahni Wi bes chde, the We 4 Professor of Veterinary Science. PepeR Mie ERB AN LUD SISs 0 i ssbigai sce sais al ore Sidra) so Seat etal Professor of Botany. De eeOOMS TOOK.) ecu seihats Whew Meters Professor of Entomology. Mtl MeL Yc 2A cit « a eWehenc wea ea ee ee Professor of Horticulture. leaiaee WYN So ae Assistant Professor of Dairy Husbandry. G. F. ATKINSON.... Assistant Professor of Cryptogamic Botany. OFFICERS OF THE STATION. TEEEVOB WR LS 0 .ccts Seite eevee iene” ST), alas sai Directo. DEINE YET: WoT Gos 0 ae eee Deputy Director and Secretary. ESE OV UG LT AIMS ish Ve 6. acer Mg a dlcbe a 0.2) os ewahe ape Treasurer. ASSISTANTS. Ri AS LINGHRLAND:... .<, cS epeeeee a's, «. caengs aise wk ee Entomology. See Co WEA SOINE CF, 2 siete eos Meee ee ae) Rgnacies Ree pee ann Agriculture. Berea el VIRIAL Gee ees Neen ade iain ume ae vee Chemistry. E.G. LODEMAN...... de BR Batt ale Sse be dty Pte books Horticulture. Offices of the Director and Deputy Director, 20 Morrill hall. Those desiring this Bulletin sent to friends will please send us the names of the parties. BuLLeTINs oF 1893. 50. The Bud Moth. 51. Four New Types of Fruits. 52. Cost of Milk Production.— Variation in Individual Cows. 53. Okdema of the Tomato. 54, Dehorning. 55. Greenhouse Notes. 56. The Production of Manure. 57. Rasberries and Blackberries. 58. Four-Lined Leaf-Bug. The Four-lined Leaf-bug. Peecilocapsus lineatus. Orprr Hemiprera; family Capsip®. During the past three years this insect has been very destructive to the foliage of currant and gooseberry bushes in several localities in our State and in other States. In some instances it has rivaled the well- known Imported Currant Worm (Nematus ventricosus) in destructive- ness, and it has proven a much harder pest to control. In 1892 it was first noticed in alarming numbers on the currant and | gooseberry bushes in the horticultural garden at this Station. By the Fic. 1— Currant leaves killed by the insect. middle of June nearly one-half of the leaves on the new growth turned brown, curled up and died (Fic. 1). The red, the white, the black and the Crandall flowering currants, and the gooseberries of all varieties were attacked. The bushes looked as though a fire had swept over them, leaving the prominent top-most leaves brown and dead. The death of these leaves so early in the season greatly checked, and in many cases entirely stopped, the new growth that the bushes would have otherwise made. As the insect usually confines its attacks to the leaves of the new growth, the fruiting portions of the bushes are 220 AgRiovuttuRAL Exprrment Station, Iraaca, N. Y. injured but little for that season. But the check given to the new growth must materially affect the future bearing capacity of the whole bush and especially of these newer portions. The present season, 1893, the pest again appeared in the horticultural] garden but was less numerous and did less damage than in 1892. However, judging from the number of eggs laid this year, the pest will be as numerous as ever next summer. Mr. Chapman, at Peruville, N. Y., also had his bushes badly damaged by the insect this year. Thus in its attacks upon currants and gooseberries during the last two years, the pest has shown itself a destructive and formidable foe. And the study of its past history which follows, shows that it has many other food-plants and more fully emphasizes the importance of the pest and the necessity for all the knowledge possible regarding its habits and life history that it may be combatted intelligently and~ effectually. THe Past History, DrstRucTIVENESS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THIS inst: Unlike many of our worst pests, this insect is not an importation from Europe. It is a native to North America. In 1798 the species was described hy Fabricius, an European, who discovered it in a collec- tion of insects from North America. It thus received its name in Europe nearly a century ago. Thirty-four vears later, Say, an American entomologist, redescribed the insect under the name Capsus 4-vittatus, but suspected that it might be Lygaeus lineatus of Fabricius. The further history of the insect in this country may be conveniently grouped under two headings. In New York State.— The first record of the occurrence of the pest in our State is in 1854. Emmons then figured (as a new species without any description or note) the insect as a New York species. We next hear of the pest in our State as seriously injuring Dahlias. Dr. Fitch says that in 1858 he learned from Mr. Chatfield, an Albany florist, that upon all his dahlia plants that year, the first flower bud which appeared was attacked by these bugs and punctured so that it withered. The two or three flower stalks that then came forth from the base of this one were destroyed in the same manner. Other flower stalks put forth from the bases of these shared the same fate. The result was an enormously broad mass of leaves and stalks grew from one root, without a single flower resulting from the multi- tude of buds which had been developed. In 1864 Mr. Heffron, of Utica, told Dr. Fitch that these bugs had so infested his dahlias that only three or four little imperfect flowers were produced. And that Tue Four-tinep Lrar-Boa. | 9921 in all the neighboring gardens that year the insect had been so destructive that no dahlias were to be had.* In 1870 a wiegelia growing at Salem, N. Y., was noticed by Dr. Fitch to be so thronged with these bugs that scarcely a leaf was free from the rusty yellow spots and many leaves were dead. Some time before Dr. Fitch says he had met with the insect puncturing the flower buds of rose, causing them to perish. He also saw them on the leaves of currant, but never in sufficient numbers to do any appreciable injury. It was also known by Dr. Fitch to occur in sufticient numbers to destroy a portion of the leaves of the bittersweet (Solanum dulcamera) and tansy. He also records finding the insect on plantain, soapwort, snap-dragon, sumach and burning-bush. Some black spots occurring upon the green succulent ends of raspberry bushes were sup- posed by Dr. Fitch to have been made by this pest. This injury was, however, doubtless due to some other cause; for this insect has never been recorded as attacking raspberry, and although there was a row ~ of raspberry bushes next to the currants upon which the insect worked in the horticultural garden here the former were not attacked. It was not until 1881 that the pest again attracted notice in our State. Then Dr. Lintner found the insect very numerous on a black currant bush in his garden at Albany. Hardly a leaf on the whole bush escaped injury and the more tender ones were killed. Dr. Lint- ner also records a severe attack upon day-lilies in his garden about this time; their foliage was entirely destroyed. The pest has been observed in the same garden each year since, but not in destructive numbers. *These facts may explain why ‘‘the dahlia has ceased t» be a flowering plant in Western New York,” as Mr. Chamberlain, of Buffalo, says in a letter to the Garden and Forest for October 4, 1898. He says the plants are thrifty . enough, but if buds form they all blast. Sometimes the young shoots have the appearance of naving been stung by insects, but often buds turn black when half grown, with no appearance of insect interference. Such plants naturally throw their growth into the tubers. In the reply which follows the letter Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, say that for several years their plants have not flowered to their entire satisfaction. They attribute the failure largely to continued dry weather and that growers usually allow too many stems to proceed from the same, plant. They have not noticed that the plant has received any serious injury from insects or from fungi. The evidence offered by Dr. Fitch seems conclusive that similar effects are produced on dahlias by the attacks of the pest. There is need, however, of more observations on this point. If growers will watch their dahlias closely they can soon determine whether or not this widespread loss of flowers is due to the punctures of this insect. 222 ~=AaricuttrurAL Exprerment Sration, Irnaoca, N. Y. In 1884 the pest made a serious attack upon gooseberry bushes at the Experiment Station at Geneva, N. Y., and so injured the young tips that they have shriveled, withered down and died. During the preceding three years the insect had been present in the same garden, And in 1885 it did considerable damage to sage in this garden and also at Batavia, N. Y. In 1887 Dr. Lintner answered a query in regard to the pest which was destroying the correspondent’s currant bushes at Fairmount, N. Y. And in the same year Mr. Van Duzee captured the insect in the neighborhood of Buffalo. This completes the record of the insect in our State up to the outbreak in the horticultural garden here in 1892. Occurrence of the pest elsewhere.— In 1832 Say recorded the insect as common in the Northwest Territory, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri and Georgia. In 1869 the editors of the American Entomologist received — specimens of the insect from a correspondent in Painesville, O. It had appeared there the year before and was then quite injurious to the | leaves of currant and various other shrubs, as wiegelia, deutzia, etc. Dr. Le Baron in 1861 found that the insect had done considerable dam- age to his currant bushes and still more to some parsnips in his garden in Illinois. In the same year Saunders says he had seen the insect upon currant bushes in Ontario, Canada, but never in alarming num- bers. He had, however, seen it almost entirely destroy patches of mint and other plants. In 1875 Glover recorded the insect as very common in Maryland; and added another food-plant, the potato. Dr. Uhler in 1878 examined specimens of the insect taken near Pembina, North Dakota. He said it appeared to be common in many parts of the Northwest on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. In May, 1886, Dr. Riley found the nymphs blighting the young shoots of both gooseberry and currant bushes at Columbus, O. In the same year Mr. Webster experimented with the insect at La Fayette, Ind., but failed to determine whether the insect injected a poisonous saliva into the wounds made by its beak, thereby causing the death of the punctured object. Prof. Weed found the pest affecting a considerable percentage of the terminal shoots of currant and goose- berry bushes on the grounds of the Ohio Experiment Station at Columbus in 1888. The same season Mr. Manning reports it as injur- ing more than twenty different species of plants in gardens at Brook- line, Mass. The next we hear of the insect is from Kirkwood, Mo., where Miss Murtfeldt found it doing considerable damage to clover in 1890. The same year Prof. Smith lists as common throughout New Jersey. Prof. Cook records the msect as uncommonly numer- Tas Fovur-tiwep Lear-Boa. 223 ous and destructive in Michigan to currant in 1891. In 1892, according to Coryell, the pest again appeared in Michigan but was less destructive than the preceding year. From this study of the past history of the insect it will be seen that it is an old offender, having first attracted attention as a pest as early as 1858. New York and Michigan thus far seem to have suffered the most from the insect, although it is present in alarming numbers in several States. In our State, dahlias, currant and gooseberry bushes, and sage have so far suffered the most. The record shows that the pest has a very wide distribution in North America, extending from Canada down through the Atlantic States to Georgia, and across the United States north of the Ohio River and reaching to the Rocky Mountains. It has not yet been recorded west of the Rockies nor from the central Southern States, but it is quite probable that it occurs in both these regions. Foop—PLANTs OF THE Psst. The past history of the insect as above narrated shows a surprisingly wide range of food-plants. This fact is more strikingly illustrated in the following list of all of the plants upon which the insect has been found feeding as recorded by the different observers. The names are arranged in groups that indicate whether the plants were being grown for food or medicine, or for ornament, or were growing wild and thus might be termed weeds. The extent to which the different plants were injured by the insect is indicated opposite each. Plants Cultivated for Food or Medicine. Name. Extent of injury. Radish ME SE se wars e ie terere sh ek at ov ankcoei aie ids clad ... Slight. RETOMER 2 cele eerie eel raraie cytotec cancers g Bar ei noes ate Considerable. GA oie Sheol are IS ater Pan en ee teuto ss ney PM eR neta EK Se Slight. Crmant, Red, White and Blackie ))yc ecu eegoe. LS Very bad. UCD (E] OTE) 1 yO eee aed RE IRI ARDS < sg .-- 0 plight, BOMRTIE (RACIOLIO().- ey arte etadan ala 16 oy sas 5 cates oe 6.6 aos. ef cea Very bad. eRe kali. ralet Anu dehy! (<0 Wie 4\s = <4 eelbs els oa/'s Biajala ey Bad. 224 AgriouttuRAL Exprerment Station, Irsaoa, N. Y. Plants Cultivated for Ornament. Name Extent of injury. Perennial Honesty (Lunaria rediviva) .........00000. Very bad. AMA APLOMB) 05 'g on nine ss leredeteys ri 0:2, 6.0 bis) pss Plea teruaetels Slight. Shrubby Althea (Hibiscus syriacus)........+0.2+e000 Considerable. Geraniums (Pelargonium) .. 1... .00cv8sseccenevacace Considerable. Burning-bush (Huonymus atropurpures) ......6..065 Slight. Japanese Maple (Acer japonicum) ..........000.0- 08: Considerable. PRL a eis! c's'-< ‘sn 3 tov ater dn oiere eiastys ep mish Beeeod Phe Oh a acca encte Slight. SOME ION rc s enalo's a bchrain el nepe tein epaeeine = stale palais ata shete Slight RMN ope salene/ sae ve ke welt 6 SI he aie te euchetera tte euetoe ie alone s Bad OLIN AeTITTAN Te, «ihre: «hy -.c{cia S epad nips anlsteb beste eueen > Very bad. Deutzia crenata ...... srecob carte Bie via ele asia PRE) bia ore Bad. Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora wc... cece eee cece Considerable. Syringa (Philadelphus coronarius aureus) .........+.. Considerable. Hercules’ Club (Araha ‘spinosa) 0. Ose ae oil Considerable. ereterslan( Der elie) wij. hi. i ates sie iy aiecatale ee acre RIOG aici ors Very bad. Sear SAM PM OTNUTIS,» <5. ets. tesco n'a Se oos Gg arejs ang a ere etc oleae Considerable. WACO) yn 5 wie is! Gite Ges oleh e mee Mena cloiw\e afeuor'e a tcace ee yt oat Considerable. PRUE Ne hs arals Look eonlgna oigte Soatait's, a alsbevarte’s we ooabe atte Very bad. Bellflower (Campanula persicaefolia) ....... 0.0 e eee Considerable. BU RRECH UC CLOUT OUNES ot.'0. aa cha raie «ore s'e w e0in nie + sage © ee me Bad. PIU BUT) TULLCOBO 2. ook» einin'S'ohp' ee, viata ete 0 e(s EAeia tar Geal CORK Considerable. Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans).........cee eee Considerable. BUEMOLE OPO (2 2. 0rs/aty aisiats mage ntwicin er four a mnie aise ete aoe tate oh Bad. Peeve GOL: kate cc wien, shs chaise ova eet Our we ly so mahale cae ele ee Slight. Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamera) ........c cece ee eeee Bad. Snupdracon (ANtirrhiiii) s. sa nee sees eines cone Slight. Mey Mly CPICINEFOCAUTR)® <2. abe s\eishardia’pivin oe here tle se sais he Very bad. Our observations add to this list the Verbena and Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana affinis), both injured considerably. Weeds. Name. Extent of injury. Buttercup. (Ranwnewlus acris) 00 eee eee ss Bad. Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis) ..... 00... c eee Slight. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). ...-....00- Bad. Nps Comer ants; 5. ikehgiets yc’. aes Fecdh Sale Cees iege Bad. Bedstraw (Gallium. boreale)... cis c'atiste sls valet velo s3 Considerable. RTRSTINY ss oa, eos 6 (cS 4» ob seeians oArek y Glee RUMEN StS Larus Considerable. RRNMENTATI 0, 2c 4 chor svete ARO nse etdiase BAM ME eh decree Na Slight THE Four-tivep Lear-Bue. 225 We have also seen the Dandelion and Burdock injured slightly, and the Canada Thistle considerably by the insect. Botanically considered these lists are of interest as they show an exceedingly wide range of food-plants for a single species of insect. Rarely do we find an insect attackin g indiscriminately so many differ- ent plants with such widely different characteristics. The fifty-four species of plants represent forty-nine genera in thirty-one different _ families of the Flowering Plants. The Gymnosperms like the pine, etc., are not represented, and but one genus (Hemerocallis) of the Monoco- tyledons. Fourteen of the plants are useful for food or medicine; twenty-nine are ornamental; while but eleven are wild species. Thus the beneficial results from the attack, rarely severe, of the insect upon the weeds, so termed, is slight compared with its frequently very injuri- ous attacks upon the cultivated plants. The insect seems to have fully realized that “ variety is the spice of life;” for it shows no impartiality, notwithstanding the juice of the leaves may be acrid, bitter, aromatic, mucilaginous, bland, or sweet, and their surfaces be rough or smooth. This list of the food plants is also of interest in connection with the egg- laying habits to De discussed on another page. INDICATIONS OF THE PRESENCE OF THE Pest. The insect usually makes its first appearance in this State about the middle of May on the newest, tenderest terminal leaves. The insects OW are then so small and active in hiding themselves that they are not apt Fig, 2.— Currant leaf, showing the characteristic spots made by the insect, natural size. 29 226 AgrRicuLruRAL Exprrment Station, Iraaca, N. Y. to attract attention. Their work, however, soon becomes apparent. Minute semi-transparent darkish spots appear on the terminal leaves. These spots are scarcely larger than a common pin’s head, and are round or slightly angular in shape depending upon the direction of the minute veinlets of the leaf which bound them. The insect has inserted its beak into the leaf and sucked out nearly all of the opaque green pulp or parenchyma of the interior within a small area bounded by the little veinlets. (Fig. 2.) The upper and lower epidermal layers of the leaf are not disturbed, except where the beak was inserted through ~ one, and when the interior pulp is withdrawn these layers soon collapse, thus giving the spot a slightly depressed appearance. For two or three days these spots are not very conspicuous, as they differ but little in color from the remainder of the leaf. Soon, however, the collapsed epidermal layers turn brown and die, thus rendering the spots — quite opaque and conspicuous. They are slightly more noticeable on the lighter lower side of the leaf than on the upper side. As the insects increase in size they suck out the parenchyma from larger areas, the spots then often measuring one-tenth of an inch in diameter. If one insect confines its attack to a single leaf for some time, or when more than one works on the same leaf, the-e spots often coalesce and frequently the whole leaf turns brown, curls up and dies; ~ being brittle it is often torn and broken by the wind. (Fig. 1.) In 1892 the injury to the currants and gooseberries in the horticultural garden here reached this stage and the whole field looked as though « fire had swept quickly through.and killed the terminal leaves. When all the tenderest leaves have succumbed, the insect continues its attack on the older leaves lower down. During its lifetime a single insect will destroy at least two or three currant or gooseberry leaves. This accounts for the fact that the injury wrought often seems much out of proportion to the number of insects at work. When the insects are very numerous, the growth of the shoots is_ often checked, they droop, wither and die. Some have thought that this blasting of the growth was caused by a poisonous saliva which the insect injected into the wound made by its beak. However, it is more probable that the shoot dies or its growth is checked on account of the death of its breathing organs —the leaves. On the currant, gooseberry and many other plants, the insect confines its attacks to the leaves, but on some ornamental plants, as the dahlia and rose, the most frequent point of attack seems to be the buds. This peculiar phase of the attacks of the pest has been described in the discussion of the past history of the insect. Tue Four-tinep Lrar-Bua. 227 In brief, the presence of the pest is indicated by the appearance of peculiar brown depressed spots (Fig. 2) on the tender terminal leaves. As the attack continues, whole leaves turn brown, curl up, become brittle and are torn or broken by the wind. (Fig. 1.) The young shoot is checked and frequently droops and dies. The buds of dahlias and roses are often blasted. . Tue Insect’s APPEARANCE. The immature form. (Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.) — These immature forms of the insect are called nymphs. When first hatched (Fig. 4) they are so small that it would take nearly twenty of them placed end to end to measure an inch. (The hair lines at the right of the figures in each case indicate the natural size of the insect.) They are easily recognized, however, on account of the shining vermilion red color of the body marked with large blackish gpots on the thorax. The antenne and legs are of a greenish black color. The nymphs grow quite rapidly, casting off their skin five times and undergoing considerable changes in matkings as shown in the figures, The body retains the same vermilion red color until the last nymphal stage is reached. The large black spots on the thorax of the newly hatched nymphs are seen to be the beginnings of the wing pads which gradually become more and more apparent at each moult, as shown in the figures. The full grown nymph (Fig. 8) is of a bright orange yellow color and measures about 5.5 mm. (.21 inch) in length. Their black wing pads, which now have a broad yellowish green stripe near the outer margin, are very conspicuous and extend nearly half way to the end of the abdomen, which is also marked with black. The eyes are prominent and of a dark reddish brown color. The general shape of the nymphs, the relative proportion of the different parts, and the hairs and black markings on the antenne, legs and other parts of their bodies are well represented in the figures 4 to 8. At the fifth or last moult the adult insect appears. The adult insect.— Figure & shows the general shape and the char- acteristic black markings of the adult insect as seen from above. In the smaller figure at the right the adult is represented natural size. The general color of the body is bright orange yellow; the legs and the portions between the black stripes on the thorax and wing covers are of a dark apple green color, which usually changes to a lemon yellow after death. The wing covers are mostly of a leathery texture; the black caudal portion which slopes downward at an angle of about 45 degrees.is membraneous with the exception of a triangular green portion that usually has a small black spot near its center. The prominent eyes are of a very dark reddish brown color. ‘he sexes are rs ‘ Pea) Be 228 AcricuttuRAL Exprrimenr Station, Irpaca, N. Y. easily ‘distinguished. The females are slightly larger and broader; their abdomen is considerably larger, blunter, and somewhat keel- shaped (Fig. 9, c); the caudal border of the segments and the edge of Fig. 3.— The adult insect; its natural size represented in small figure at the right. the keel are sometimes blackish in. color. The smaller abdomen of the male is more nearly cylindrical caudad and is provided with two black curved hook-like claspers near the tip, which is black on the venter. The four black stripes on the dorsum of the thorax are also usually noticeable wider in the males. Its CLASSIFICATION. Many persons in speaking of insects in a popular way call them “bugs.” However, all insects are not bugs, but all bugs are insects In other words, when the term bug is properly applied to an insect it means that the insect belongs to a certain division, called the order Hemiptera, of the whole great group of insects. Thus only those insects which belong to the order of Hemiptera are true bugs. Famil- iar examples of bugs are the Scale-insects, the well-known Plant-lice, the Pear Psylla, the Bed-bug, the Chinch Bug, and the Squash Bug. The pest under discussion is one of the true bugs. It is a member of one of the largest families, the Capsidae, into which order Hemép- tera is divided. The Chinch Bug belongs to a closely allied family. There are several hundred members of the family Capsidae and most of them live chiefly on the leaves of plants from which they derive their nourishment. Professor Comstock has, therefore, in his “ First Lessons in the Study of Insects” (now in press) very aptly given to the Capsidae the popular name “ Leaf-bugs.” Its scientific name.— The name by which this bug is now recognized. by naturalists is Poecilocapsus lineatus. A glance at the synonomy of the insect as given on another page will show that it has had other i . | Tue Four-tiwep Lxar-Bue. 229 names since it was christened by Fabricius nearly a century ago. But the law of priorty requires the recognition of the specific name lineatus (the Latin word for lined or striped) given by Fabricius. The genus Poecilocapsus was established for the reception of this and allied species in 1875 by a Swedish writer. The first part of the word Poeczio, is a Greek word meaning many-colored or spotted; capsus is a Latin word signifying wagon-body or an enclosure for animals. Thus the many- colored or striped appearance of the insect is twice suggested in its scientific name. The word capsus is without signification when applied to these Leaf-bugs. ‘Its popular name.— Most of our common insects, and especially those of economic importance, have received popular names. Various things suggest these names, as the food-plant and the habits of the insect, like the Squash Bug and Apple-tree Borer, or some peculiar characteristic of the insect as the 15-spotted Lady-bird Beetle. Unfor- tunately, however, the same insect may have several of these names, | depending upon the locality or the author who writes it. For instance a certain insect is known in one locality as the Buffalo-bug or moth, in another the Carpet-bug, and in still others the Russian-moth. The pest under discussion well illustrates this point. Dr. Fitch in writing of it in New York in 1870 called it the Black-lined Plant-bug. In 1891 .Cook of Michigan named it the Yellow-lined Currant-bug.* The Four-striped Plant-bug is the name applied to the insect by LeBaron of Illinois in 1871. This name has also been used by Saunders in Canada in 1872 and 1883, by Glover, United States Entomologist, in 1876, by Weed of Ohio in 1888, and by Jack in Massachusetts in 1890. Still another name, the one that has priority over all the others, is the Four-lined Leaf-bug which was given to the pest in 1869 by Walsh and Riley. Dr. Lintner has used this name in all his writings on the pest in our State. Miss Murtfeldt of Missouri, also used it in 1891. And it occurs in Professor Comstock’s text-books on entomology. The name comes from the number of stripes on the insect, and from its being one of the Leaf-bugs. It is thus the most appropriate popular name that has been proposed. It also has priority, has been used by out State Entomologist, and will come into use through «This name is quite inappropriate as the general body color is yellowish and the stripes black, besides what are designated as yellow stripes are almost always in life of an apple green color, which usually changes to a lemon yel- low several days after death. Again the pest is such a general feeder that it ‘may as appropriately be called the gooseberry, the dahlia, the sage, or the mint-bug, etc. - - 230 AcriouLruRAL Experiment Station, Iraaca, N. Y. ~ the text-books mentioned. For these reasons it has seemed best to use the popular name, the Four-Lined Leaf-bug, in this bulletin. Tux Lire History or THE Psst. Heretofore but little has been known of the life history of the Four- lined Leaf-bug. The earlier observers have given us graphic and quite accurate accounts of its habits and manner of working. And unfortu- nately they tried to reason out its life history from their knowledge of the life histories of allied insects. ‘“ Bad matters have been made worse ” by later writers who have not tried to verify from observation the guesses of the early observers ; and in consequence most of the pre- ventive methods at present recommended to control this pest, being based upon the old theories, are found to be entirely useless when its true life history is observed. he It is curious how some of these unfortunate guesses of the earlier entomologists will cling to the literature and be handed down by later writers until it seems almost presumptuous to doubt them. Our obser- vations upon the Four-lined Leaf-bug during the past two years have shown it to bea striking example of the necessity for more observations upon our common insects and less theorizing on the guesses of earlier writers who, however, “ builded the best they knew” with their meagre facilities and left works which are mines of entertaining and useful information. epee All of our observations have been made upon the pest as it works upon currant and gooseberry bushes, but the discussion will consider its other food-plants as well. Our attention was first called to the insect in the latter part of June, 1892, after it had reached its adult stage. Many observations were made to discover the eggs of the insect, and failing in this, every available hiding place was examined through the fall and early spring of 1893, tofind the adults which we supposed were in hibernation. However, no trace of the insect could be found after it left the bushes in July. Fie. 4.—Nymph recently hatched; first stage. Fie. 5.—Nymph after first moult; second stage. _ During the present year we have been more successful. The insect has been under observation both in the field and insectary during the whole season, with the result that, although the insect has been known Tue Four-tinep Lear-Bue. » 931 for nearly a century, its true life history can now be recorded for the first time. | Its first appearance in the spring.— The first indications of the appearance of the insect on the currants in the Horticultural garden this year was about May 27* At that ‘ime many minute vermilion red creatures (Fig 4) wére seen at work on the tenderest leaves of the new growth. It was at once suspected that these little nymphs were an early stage of the pest which had done so much damage the year Fic. 6—Nymph after second moult; third stage. before. The eggs from which they hatched were soon discovered; and a detailed study of the habits and transformation of the nymphs, from the time they left the egg until they reached the adult stage was begun. Detailed account of the different stages._- Several of the recently hatched nymphs were isolated in cages in the insectary and their devel- ment watched. It was found that they moulted (or cast off their old skins for new elastic ones which formed underneath the old) five times, or passed through five nymphal stages before the adult stage was reached. Figures 4, 5, 6,7 and 8 represent the insect on its first, second, third, fourth and fifth nyniphal stages respectively as seen from above. All of the figures are, of course, much magnified as is shown by the hair line on the right of each which jy¢. 7, Nymph after third moult: represents its naturallength. But as all of forth stage: the figures were drawn through a camera lucida to the same scale they *The first appearance of the pest in the spring has not been before recorded. But from the fact that adults have been seen as early as June 2 in Ohio, the nymphs must appear a week or ten days earlier in some years. Mr. Web- ster says he used adults of this species in his experiments in Indiana on May 22. It seems as though there must be some mistake here, or else spring opened much earlier than usual so that the first nymphs appeared about May 4. 232 AgricutTuRAL Exprrimenr Sration, Irmaca, N. Y. represent the relative differences in size between the different stages; and the state ee cele of the conspicuous black wing pads, in figure acini 8, from what seems but black spots in the first stage. The figures also show, clearer than descriptions would, the changes which take place in the black markings on the body and its appendages at | the different moults. During the first three stages the whole body is of a vermil- ion red color with the legs and anteanaz blackish green; the last antennal joint has a Fie. 8.—Nymph after fourth moult; fifth and last 4- ,- ; Dae Av tnbhRLGtaEG. = anc “®8° distinct reddish shade and is slightly enlarged. In the fourth and fifth stages the distal half of the second and all of the third and fourth joints of the antennez are black; the last joint becomes slenderer, and the basal portion of each antenna and the legs are of alight yellowish green color with two irregular bands _ of black across the dorsal aspect of each femur, and a yellowish green stripe appears on each wing pad. In the fourth stage the head and first thoracic segment are orange yellow in color, and a day or two after the fourth moult the whole body is of a similar color with irregu- lar lighter yellowish stripes between the rows of black spots on the abdomen. In all the nymphal stages hairs occur on the head and arise in rows from black spots on each abdominal segment. In all stages of the insect, including the adult, the antenne are thickly set with black hair, and as each joint is lighter at its extremities they have a ringed appearance; the legs are set with many short black spines; the eyes are always prominent and of a dark reddish brown color; the tip of the beak is black and a large black spot occurs on its base. The newly hatched nymph (Fig. 4) measures 1.3 mm. (.05 inch) in length. The first moult occurs in three or four days. The second nymphal stage (Fig. 5) lasts three days, and the insect attains a length of 2.1 mm. (0.8 inch). After its third moult (Fig. 6) the nymph increases in length to three mm. (.12 inch), and the fourth moult occurs in from two to three days. The fourth stage (Fig. 7) is passed in from five to seven days, and the nymph then measures 3.7 mm. (1.45 inch) in length. Tue Four-tinep Lrar-Buea. 233 The insect reaches its fifth and last nymphal stage (Fig. 8), the pupa of some authors, in from thirteen to fifteen days after leaving the egg. The duration of this stage is from four to five days, and the nymph measures 5.5 mm. (.21 inch) in length when the final or fifth moult occurs at which the adult insect appears.* Thus the nymphal stage of the insect is passed in from seventeen to twenty days. The adults first appeared this year about June 13. This agrees with most of the recorded dates of their first appearance. Figure 3 repre- sents the typical marking of the adult. Considerable variations occur besides the sexual one pointed out in discussing the appearance of the * Dr. Lintner has watched this moult and described it in detail. He says: ‘‘ The change from the pupa to the perfect insect was made in so short a time, that although more than a hundred examples underwent their transformation in a glass jar upon my table where they were frequently examined, yet in only one instance was the operation detected. It proved so interesting, particularly in the attendant gradual change of color, that it was watched and the follow- ing notes thereof taken. When first discovered the pupal integument had split upon the back and separated so as to show the larger part of the thorax of the inclosed insect, the basal portion of the wings and the intermediate scutellum. The charac- teristic and conspicuous black marks pertaining to maturity were entirely absent—the only shades observable being orange, yellow and white; the _ thorax was pale yellow, the scutellum light yellow with its lateral angles orange; the wings were white. In this condition the insect rested for a few minutes, with the terminal half of its wings still encased in their sheaths, and with no movement other than a tremulous motion of the feet. It then turned itself around for a few times and moved several steps over the leaf, when it took position with its head directed downward, its front pair of legs holding to to the leaf and the others detached. Slowly the abdomen was withdrawn from its incasement and the colorless wings from their sheaths. Soon the yellow stripes of the wings began to appear and insensibly to deepen. As yet there was no indication of the black stripes traversing the thorax and wings, or of the black of the membraneous wing tips. In 25 minutes from the observed commencement of the transformation (at 1 o’clock as noticed ), the wing tips had fullyexpanded. The time occupied in the disengagement from the pupal case was not noted ; it could not have varied much from five minutes. Ati h. 15 m., there were indications of the black stripes in a duskiness of color. Atih.40m., the lines had deepened toa leaden hue and the antennee were dark. At 2 o’clock, all the stripes, the small spot towards the wing tip, and the tip, had become blackish, and the bands on the legs were showing. When next observed, at 3.0’clock, the stripes were glossy jet black, and the mature coloring throughout had been assumed. While change of color frequently attends insect moultings, and usually to a greater or less degree the larvel moults of the Lepidoptera, it is rare that so marked a change as that above noted, ranging from white to black, can be observed , and in so brief a time.”’ 30 234 AgricurruraAL Exprrment Sration, ItHaoa, N. Y. insect. Nearly ever writer in speaking of the lighter stripes between — the prominent black ones describe them as bright lemon yellow in color; and no mention is made that they were ever any other color. But, as Dr. Fitch pointed out, they are of a bright apple green color in life. Only one specimen out of the many hundreds observed this season on the current bushes had these stripes yellow in life. Occasionally the stripes retain their green color for several months after being placed in cabinets, but usually the change takes place in a few weeks, especially if the speci- mens are kept in the light. The black spots caudad of the outer black stripes on the wing covers are often wanting or nearly so. Among 75 specimens collected this season, 29 of them, mostly females, lack the spots. Thirteen of the specimens, mostly females, showed but little trace of the outer black stripes on the thorax; in some specimens both the stripes and spots — were wanting. The black bands on the dorsel aspect of the femurs are sometimes obsolete, especially on the front legs. Dr. Fitch says the females are much more numerous than the males. Among the 75 specimens mentioned above, 44 are females, and in the field this year there seemed to be nearly as many males as females. Habits of the nymphs.— The nymphs confine their attacks to the tenderest opening leaves. Their mouth parts are formed into a little beak which, when not in use, extends along the venter close to the body, reaching nearly to the second pair of legs. In feeding, which occupies most of their time, this little beak is placed against the surface of the leaf and four thread-like organs working in a groove in the beak are forced into the tissues. The green pulp or parenchyma of the leaves is literally pumped or sucked through the beak into the body. When the beakis once inserted, the sucking is continued until nearly all the parenchyma has been taken from a round or angular area bounded by the minute veinlets of the leaf and about the size of a common pin’s head. This makes a semi-transparent darkish spot on the leaf which turns brown in a day or two owing to the death of the outer or epider- mal layers of the leaf. The spots are then quite conspicuous from either side of the leaf, although the nymphs work mostly from the under side. Figure 2 is a reproduction from a photograph of a currant leaf and shows fairly well the characteristic appearance of the work of the insect. The spots are not as distinct as they occur in nature for the difference in coloring between the spots and the rest of the leaf could not be brought out by photography. As the nymphs increase in size the spots are a little larger and more numerous until not only hundreds occur on a single leaf, but often nearly all the parenchyma is taken from the leaf. / Tue Four-tinep Lear-Bue. 235 The nymphs in any stage are surprisingly active. Their con- spicuous coloring would seem to render them easily seen. But they usually manage to see you first and scamper off to the opposite side of the leaf or stem as though they were playing “hide and seek ” until you are out of sight. The graphic description of the activity of the adults quoted under the next heading is equally applicable to the nymphs, except that they can only run and not fly. We believe the nymphs will usually be found only on shrubby plants like the currant and sage ; a few may stray onto herbaceous plants. This seems rather a broad statement. But the discussion of the oviposition and hibernation of the pest on another page will show that it must follow as a natural consequence. And curiously enough, a careful sifting of the recorded facts regarding the insect indicate the same thing. For instance, in all accounts of attacks of the insect upon plants other than shrubs, there is nothing said about nymphs; only the adult is described. Furthermore, where the date of the attack is given, it is in every case after the time when the change to the adult stage occurs. In fact, the only published descrip- tions of the nymphal stages before the fifth or last were taken from specimens captured on sage.* Habits of the adult.— The adult insects usually begin to appear about the second week in June. They are provided with a beak and feed in the same manner as do the hymphs. They are more voracious, however, and do more damage. As Dr. Fitch has very graphically said: “These bugs are extremely shy and constantly on the alert to escape notice. When approached they quickly and adroitly slip around the edge of the leaf to its opposite side, where they will be hid from view. Thus on coming to a mass of shrubbery on which there are hundreds of them, their presence will not be suspected, not one of them being anywhere visible. But upon bending a stalk aside so as to bring the other surface of its leaves into view, here and there one of them will be seen, standing quietly on its leaf with a look of perfect innocence and as if unconscious of any guile or deceit; yet watching its opportunity to do so unobserved, it again expertly dodges around to the back side of the leaf. If the hand approaches to seize it, it quickly drops itself down among the foliage beneath. Or if one hand is held under the leaf, whereby it in dropping falls into it oe *Miss Murtfeldt speaks of the insect as occurring on clover in the middle of May, and says: ‘‘ Its broad flat larva is of a dull, pale green color, varie- gated with a few ferruginous marks and shadings. The pupa is very similar, with the addition of the wing pads.” These descriptions indicate that it is very doubtful if she saw the nymphs of the Four-lined Leaf-bug. 236 AgriouLTuRAL Exprrmment Station, IrHaca, N. Y and the fingers are closed upon it, ere one is aware, it slips out at some opening between them and falls among the leaves or into the grass. It is not inclined to take wing except as a last resort. By its long, stout hind legs it is adapted for skipping; and its mode of progression is quite singular. It walks briskly a few steps and then gives a skip, throwing itself two or three inches, and then pauses and looks around, apparently to see if anything has noticed and is following it. It then walks a few steps further and gives another skip and again stops and looks back; being evidently aware that when it is moving it is much more liable to be seen by some enemy than when it is standing still.” This account is not an exaggeration. In this connection a statement crept into the literature in 1871, which has remained, and in several cases the only preventive method recommended is based upon it. Dr. LeBaron started it by saying: “The insects of the genus Capsus are very active, and instantly take to flight when alarmed, especially in the heat of the day. The only time when they can be captured and destroyed is very early in the morning, when they are chilled by the coolness of the night, and therefore disinclined to fly.” After a little experience in trying to capture a few of the insects at different times during the day, we became presumptuous enough to doubt this statement. To test it, a cold rainy morning (June 30) was selected when the bugs would be torpid, if at any time. We were in the field just as day was break- ing, before 5 a. M., and in spite of the fact that the books said the bugs should be torpid at this time, they were never livelier! It required just as much dexterity to catch one at that time in the morn- ing as it had the preceding day at about noon. Some species of the Capsidae may be torpid early in the morning, but the Four-lined Leaf- bug is certainly an exception on some mornings. The adults show a decided tendency to wander about onto dif- ferent plants in the neighborhood of the one on which they feed as nymphs. Early in June nearly every Canada thistle and burdock Fig. 9.— Abdomen of the female, showing the ovipositor; a, ovipositor hidden in groove; c, ovipositor exerted; b, blades of ovipositor. growing in proximity to the currant bushes in the horticultural garden were fairly alive with the adults feeding. Some adults escaped from Tue Four-tinep Lrar-Boea. , 237 cages in the insectary and had soon sampled several of the plants in the room. To this wandering habit of the adult is due, we believe, most of the injury reported to the buds of flowering plants and the foliage of its other herbaceous food-plants. As indicated in the discussion of the habits of the nymphs, they work only on the shrubs, while all the reported attacks on the herbaceous plants are directly traceable to the adults only. However, most of the adults must find their way back to the shrubs sooner or later in order to fulfil their destiny in the per- petuation of the species as we shall see in the discussion of the next topics. \ Oviposition of the insect.— Nothing has heretofore been recorded regarding the oviposition of this pest. No one has seen the eggs except as they have been taken from the body of the female. From the time the first adults appeared this year, about June 15, until they disappeared from the bushes about July 15, frequent obser- vations were made to discover if any eggs were laid before fall, and if so, when and where. Egg-laying began about a week after the adults appeared and most of them had been deposited by July 7. The loca- tion of the eggs had been discovered in May when the young hatched, so that they were easily found in July. Unfortunately none of the bugs were caught in the act of ate their eggs. A glance at the ovipositor of the female as shown in figure Fig. 10.— Section of currant stem showing eggs in position; e, egg, greatly enlarged. 9 is, however, very suggestive. When not in use it lies hidden in a deep groove of the abdomen as represented at @ in the figure. It can be lifted from the groove as at c, and then appears asa thin blade- . A 238 AgRicuttuRAL Exprerment Sration, Irmaoa, N. Y. like obliquely pointed instrument. Further manipulation with a knife or needle will show that which appears to be a single blade is really made up of two similar blades (Fig. 9, 5) lying close together. In short, the female is provided with a comparatively long thin two-valved - blade-like ovipositor capable of cutting quite a slit in the tissues of a plant; and that is really what does happen. For the eggs are to be found in slits cut lengthwise into the stems of the plants, extending through the bark, wood, and nearly half way Fig. 11.— Currant stem showing white egg clusters, considerably enlarged. through the pith (Fit. 10). The slits vary in length up to one-eighth of an inch, depending upon the number of eggs placed therein. The usual number is 6 or 8; it varies, however from 2 to 14, The eggs lie closely packed together in the slit, as shown in figure 10, with their out ends projecting slightly above the bark. 5 eh Sy Meats UA UR GS Rill LS ell Al a a ao a ae ea ee a “Ae, aaa , THE Four-tiNe> Lxar-Bue. 239 The eggs, shown enlarged at ¢c, figure 10, are 1.65 mm. (.065 inch) in length, smooth, cylindrical, slightly curved or flash-shaped, and of a light yellow color with the upper third capped by a white finely ‘straited portion; the lower end is rounded and the upper irregularly : flattened. - A e With the growth of the surrounding tissue of the stem, the eggs are usually forced out of the slit somewhat, so that about one half or even more of the white portion of the egg projects from the slit as shown much enlarged in figure 12. Later in the season, especially noticeable in the spring, the eggs assume a reddish color doubtless due » to the growth of the embryo within. The eggs are laid only in the soft tender growth made the same season, and almost invariably in the stem. One or two slits containing Fie. 12.— Portion of currant stem showing three white egg clusters, much enlarged. 4 eggs have been found in the petiole of a leaf near its base. Eggs are F also rarely found six inches from the tip of the shoot. A majority of fo: them are within two or three inches (Fig. 13). In one instance seventy- five eggs were found within three inches from the tip; and sixty-four é have been found in one shoot within one and one-quarter inches from mau the fip.* * The number of eggs laid by a single female has not been ascertained. Dr. LeBaron records finding from-15 to 24 eggs in the abdomens of females examined. When the egg-laying season was at its heigth, July 7 this year, from 15 to 33 fully formed eggs we found in the females examined. oe, aD 240 AgriculivRAL Exrrriment Sratioy, Impaca, N. Y. A These egg scars with the white tips of the eggs projecting from them are quite easily seen, and occurring in such a limited portion of the plant have suggested a method of combatting the pest. Figures 11, 12 and 13 are from photographs of currant stems. In figure 11 several egg clusters are shown considerably enlarged; and in figure 12 are shown three clusters still more enlarged. Figure 13 shows a currant tip natural size and well illustrates the size and posi- tion of the whitish eggs in the scars near the center of the stem. The eggs are similarly placed in the stems of gooseberry, flowering currant, - and doubtless in its other shrubby food-plants. Eggs were also found in considerable numbers in the stems of wild currant in the field last May. Thus far eggs have been found only in shrubs or woody plants, further indicating, in connection with the fact that these are the only plants on which the nymphs have been recorded, that shrubs are their’ permanent food-plants. Number of broods.— Dr. Fitch says: “These bugs which we meet with grown to maturity and paired in the middle of June, lay a crop of eggs from which another generation completes its growth before the end of the season. Thus there are two generations annually.” He mentions no observations in support of this statement. Frequent observations were made in 1892 after the adults disappeared in July, but no indications of the insect were seen until the nymphs. appeared this spring. ‘This year, as we have seen, eggs were laid as early as June 25, and these still remain unhatched. Again there are no records of the adults being seen later than July. These facts show that in New York State at least, the insect is single-brooded. Two broods may occur farther south. Hibernation.— In-regard to this phase of the life history of the Four-lined Leaf-bug, all has heretofore been guess work. Dr. Fitch, after admitting that he had not met the insect in its winter quarters, says: ‘It is evidently in its perfect state, that it passes this period of the year, secreted probably among fallen leaves, or under pieces of boards lying on the ground, in crevices, and other situations where it will remain dry. Coming forth upon the opening of spring, it no doubt lays its eggs upon the young stalks of the dahlia and other vegetation on which the immature bugs afterward appear.” Our observations on the oviposition and number of broods just recorded show that this is entirely erroneous. No adults have been seen after July, eggs laid in June now remain unhatched, and nymphs were seen hatching from eggs in May. It is thus obvious that the winter is passed in the egg and not as an adult; the insect thus passes nine \ % Tue Four-tinep Lear-Bue. | 241 months of the year in the egg. This fact renders two of the principal preventive methods that have been recommended practically useless. Not knowing the manner of hibernation of the insect, its food- plants assume a new interest. A study of the list will show that three-fourths of the plants are herbaceous or die down in the fall, thus offering no shelter for the eggs during the winter. In fact, in only sixteen plants out of the fifty-four species could the eggs pass the win- ter, these being the shrubs.* Thus only these plants could become the permanent food-plants of the pest. The facts brought out in the dis- cussion of the habits of the nymphs also substantiate this. The wild currants were doubtless among its original food-plants. Summary of the life-history of the pest.— Briefly stated, our obser- vations upon the life-history of the Four-lined Leaf-bug show that the nymphs appear in the latter part of May upon shrubby plants where they continue to feed upon the tender leaves for two or three weeks, undergoing five moults. The adults appear early in June and often spread to different surrounding succulent plants. Egg laying begins in the latter part of June, the eggs being laid in slits cut in the stems of shrubs near the tips of the new growth. The adults disappear in July and the insect hibernates in the egg. Only one brood occurs each year in our State. Metuops oF PREVENTING THE Ravaaes or Tuts Psst. The Four-lined Leaf-bug is not an easy pest to control. The new light thrown on the habits and life-history of the pest by our observa- tions during the past two years shows that several of the preventive methods heretofore recommended are practically useless. More caution should be used in recommending remedies or preventives when so lit- tle is known of the life-history of the insect. With our present knowledge of the pest the preventive methods to be employed to com- bat it resolve themselves into two groups — insecticides and mechanical means. By the use of insecticides.— The food of this pest consists only of the juices of the leaves or buds of the plants upon which it feeds. It is not provided with biting jaws for masticating its food as are many other insects like the potato beetle, grasshoppers and caterpillars. But, as we have seen, its mouth parts are formed into a beak through * These are the shrubby althea, burning bush, Japanese maple, sumach, rose, currants, wild currant, gooseberry, deutzia, hydrangea, syringa, Hercules’ club, weigela, bittersweet and sage; all being ornamental plants {except the currants, gooseberry and sage. 31 ~ 242 AgcriouLTURAL Experiment Station, Irpaca, N. Y. which it sucks its food, as does the Pear Psylla, the Squash-bug, Plant- lice and all the other true bugs. As Dr. Lintner has said: “It is evi- dent, therefore, that these insects, living as they do upon the sap of plants, may not be destroyed by means of poisons applied to the sur- face of the leaves. The delicately pointed sucker would penetrate the poison even when thickly coating the leaf, without imbibing any por- tion of it.” Thus the application of Paris green, London purple or any other poisonous subject would prove of no avail against the Four- lined Leaf-bug. Some have thought that applications of dust, lime, ashes, soot, soap- suds, tobacco water, carbolic acid washes, etc., might be effectual. Dr. Lintner says, however, that they have on trial been found ineffectual. Walsh and Riley thought that “the plant might be pro- tected against their attacks by a proper use of cresylic acid soap.” Experiments have been reported in which a strong solution of this soap was used upon a closely allied insect, the Tarnished Leaf-bug (Lygus pratensis); it was entirely ineffectual and would doubtless prove use- less against the Four-lined Leaf-bug. The only insecticide with which we have experimented against this pest is kerosene emulsion, the cheapest and most effectual insecticide yet found for sucking insects.* In June, 1892, an adult was sprayed with the emulsion diluted with twenty-five parts of water. The insect dexterously wiped off with its hind leg a large drop which had accumulated on its back and went its way uninjured. Several adults were then sprayed, care being taken to wet them all over, with the emulsion diluted but five times; ‘some of them seemed “sea sick” for a few minutes but in an hour all were as lively as ever. Adults sprayed with the emulsion diluted with three parts of water were nearly all dead the next morning. Undiluted kerosene killed them in a minute or two. *To make the emulsion thoroughly dissolve one-half pound hard or soft soap in one gallon of boiling water. While this solution is still very hot add two gallons of kerosene and quickly begin to agitate the whole mass through a syringe or force pump, drawing the liquid into the pump and forcing it back into the dish. Continue this for five minutes or until the whole mass assumes a creamy color and consistency which will adhere to the sides of the vessel and not glide off like oil. It may now be readily diluted with cold rain water, or the whole mass may be allowed to cool when it has a semi- solid. form, not unlike loppered milk. This standard emulsion if covered and placed in a cool, dark place will keep for a long time. In making a dilution from this cold emulsion it is necessary to dissolve the amount required in three or four parts of boiling water, after which cold rain waterSmay be added in the required quantities. i. THE Four-LINED Lrar-Boa. 943 This year the emulsion was tried on the nymphs when about one- half grown. When the emulsion was diluted with ten parts of water it had but little effect. But when only five parts of water were used, and the spraying was thorough, the nymphs died in a minute or two. Prof. Cook reports as follows in regard to the use of kerosene emulsion against the pest in Michigan in 1891: “ We sprayed these striped currant bugs on the bushes and in the laboratory with kerosene emulsion made with both hard and soft soap and with pyrethro- kerosene emulsion.* There were almost too few bugs on the currant bushes to make the experiments satisfactory, but in the field and in the laboratory both applications killed the insects, and the bushes in the garden were freed of the blighting bugs.” We have tried no experiments in the field with the emulsion. Our experiments in the insectary as recorded above indicated that the emul- sion must be thoroughly applied and must contain at least nine per cent of kerosene (that is, the Riley-Hubbard emulsion diluted with six or seven parts of water) to be effectual against the nymphs, and con- siderably stronger, diluted not more than five times, to affect the adults. Prof. Cook’s experiments both in the field and the laboratory are, however, quite conclusive and indicate that the emulsion affords a practicable method of combating the pest. As Prof. Cook does not mention the early stages of the insect, it is probable his experi- ments were made on the adults. , The best and most effectual time to apply the emulsion will be before the insect has reached the adult stage, that is, while they are still nymphs. As the adults begin to appear the first week in June, the spraying should be done the last week in May or as soon as the bright vermilion red nymphs are seen on the bushes. With the insect thus destroyed in its nymphal stage, the buds of dahlia, rose, and the _ leaves of other herbaceous plants would not suffer from the attacks of the pest if, as the records indicate, the adults alone are responsible for this injury. The insect in all of its stages is so very active that the spraying must be very thorough to be effectual. * Professor Cook’s emulsions contain one quart of soft or one pound of hard soap dissolved in two quarts of hot water and one pint of kerosene added. This is diluted with an equal amount of water when it is ready for use. This gives nearly seven per cent of kerosene in the dilution as applied ; or about the same amount of kerosene that the Riley-Hubbard emulsion has when diluted with nine parts of water. ‘The excess of soap in Cook’s emulsions may increase their insecticidal value as used against the Four-lined Leaf-bug. In the pyrethro-kerosene emulsion one gallon of kerosene is filtered through two pounds and a half of pyrethrum powder, and the filtrate is used in the same manner as kerosene in making the emulsion, 244 AgricuttuRAL Experiment Station, Itpaca, N. Y. We believe that the evidence in favor of the effectiveness of kerosene emulsion is sufficient to recommend it as a practicable method of com- bating the pest, especially where large areas of an acre or more are attacked. In brief, then, for large areas where some of the mechani- cal means to be discussed would seem too costly, we would recommend the application of kerosene emulsion (Riley-Hubbard formula) diluted with not more than five parts of water to the shrubs, where the nymphs will be found at work, not later than the last week in May. One thorough application at this time, till it drips from the bushes, will not injure the foliage or fruit and will, we believe, destroy a majority of the nymphs, and thus protect the herbaceous plants from the attacks of the adults. Do not wait until the adults appear before beginning to spray; watch the shrubs for the nymphs. By mechanical means.—Several methods have been suggested for controlling this pest by mechanical means. These will now be dis- cussed in detail under their respective headings, disposing first of two that our observations have shown to be useless. 1. Burning of garden rubbish.— This was the best method for arresting the depredations of this pest that Dr. Lintner was prepared to offer in 1882. He expected to destroy the adults in this manner. There is no doubt that garden rubbish does harbor many noxious insects and should, therefore, be burned But, as the discussion of the life history of the pest has shown, the adult insect occurs in the rubbish only as an already decaying corpse, if at all; for they arrange for the perpetuation of the species by laying their eggs and disappearing before August. The winter is passed in the egg securely placed near the tip of the bush. Thus the burning of the rub- - bish would not in the least affect the numbers of the pest the next year. 2. Destroying the females in the spring before ovisposition.— Writ- ing under the supposition that the insect hibernated in the adult state, Dr. Lintner says: “As soon as the leaves of the currants, roses and other early shrubs commence to unfold in the spring —in all gardens where this insect abounded the previous year, watch should be kept for its first coming abroad from its winter quarters. Nearly all the indi- viduals will be females, with their abdomen swollen with their burden eggs ready to be deposited. Tney will be found sluggish in their movements, and their conspicuous coloring and marking render them easy to be seen. As an incentive to watchfulness now, it need only to be borne in mind, that for every one captured and killed before ovipo-— sition, there will be at least a score less of indefatigable depredators Tue Four-tinep Lrar-Bua. 945 upon the choicest products of the garden throughout the early summer months, and hundreds less of the augmented later brood.” It is only necessary to again recall the fact that this pest passes the winter in the egg and not as an adult, to see how fruitless would be the watch for the gravid females in the spring. The two proposed methods of combating this pest just discussed are striking instances of the necessity for more knowledge of the life-his- tories of some of our insect pests if our farmers and fruit growers are to be taught to intelligently and successfully fight these little foes, 3. Pruning of the bushes to destroy the eggs.— Our discovery of the eggs of this pest in slits in the stems of the shrubs they infest, suggested a new method of combating the pest. All of the eggs are laid before August 1, within four or five inches from the tips of the new growth, and there remain unhatched until the following May. Figure 13 shows a currant tip, natural size, with several white egg clusters plainly visible Fig. 13.— Tip of new shoot of currant, showing several white egg clusters in the stem near its center, natural size. near the center of the stem. The eggs are doubtless too well protected to be affected by any insecticide which might be applied, but why not cut back the tips of the new shoots for six inches and burn them ? On bushes which have been infested this year, these egg scars can soon be found, as the whitish tips of the eggs are quite conspicuous. After a few have been found and their characteristics noted, it will take 246 AgerioutturaL Experiment Station, Irmaoa, N. Y. but a few minutes to look over a bush and clip off the tips of the shoots containing the eggs. Burn these tips (the eggs would doubtless hatch in the spring were they left on the ground) and the pest will be effectu- - ally checked. Even if the tips of all of the new growth be clipped, the the bush would not suffer more seriously than it would from the pest if present in considerable numbers. On small areas, or with choice plants spend a little more time and cut only those tips containing eggs. - The eggs remain in these tips nine months, thus making it practicable to do the pruning during the winter months when other work is not so — pressing. The leaves will then also be off and the egg scars can be more easily seen. If currants, gooseberries, or other shrubs have been attacked by this pest, anyone can, by examining the tips of this year’s growth for the eggs, at once determine whether to expect it next year or not. 2 This method of combating the pest is, of course, only applicable to the shrubs, as the eggs will not be found in herbaceous plants. But we believe that this pruning and burning of the tips of the new shoots of currants, gooseberries, and other shrubs attacked by the insect will prove one of the most practicable, and certainly very efficient, method of preventing the ravages of this Four-lined Leaf-bug. 4, The “ jarring” method for destroying the nymphs or adults. On small areas, where choice bushes are attacked, or when the pest appears on ornamental herbaceous plants, the safest, most practicable and efli- cient way to combat it will be by this method. This can best be done by jarring or knocking the insects into a pan or dish of some kind partially filled with water and kerosene. The bug in all of its stages drops quickly when the bush is jarred. This may seem a rather primi- tive method but many an acre of potatoes used to be and many garden patches now are saved in this way from the greediness of the Potato Beetle. It will be easier to catch the nymphs of the Four-lined Leaf- bug than the adults in this way, as the latter are more timid, drop quicker, and are apt to fly. Therefore, as many of the nymphs as pos- sible should be destroyed in May and early June. Nearly all writers on this pest have advised this jarring method for preventing ravages, but always with the proviso that it be done in the cool of early morning while the bugs are comparatively inactive or torpid. Our experience on this point has been given in detail in the discussion of the habits of the insect. A single excursion into the field on a cool June morning convinced us that it is not necessary for one to lie awake nights that they may be on hand early enough in the morn- ing to catch this bug asleep. We have seen practically very little dif- Tan Four-tivep Lear-Bue. 247 ference in the activity of the bugs at different times during the day, either rain or shine. So that the jarring will be equally as effectual at whatever time of day applied. Catch the nymphs in May if possible and thus preserve the plants, especially the herbaceous ones, from the serious ravages of the adults. Summary of the preventive methods to be used against this pest.— The arsenites and other poisonous insecticides will have no effect on the bugs, as they feed solely upon the interior juices of the plant. The only other insecticide that promises good results is kerosene emulsion diluted with five parts of water and applied on the nymphs as soon as they appear in May. It will, perhaps, not be so effective on the adults. On large areas we believe it will prove a practicable means of fighting the pest while in the nymphal stages. The burning of the garden rubbish in the fall will not affect the pest in the least, nor will there be any gravid females to watch for and destroy in the spring, as the pest winters in the egg securely placed near the tips of the new growth of shrubs, as shown in figure 13. The pruning and burning of these tips in which all of the eggs are laid, will prove a practicable and very efficient means of fighting the pest. ‘The pruning can be done at any time between mack 1st and the first of May following. Probably the best method for general practice, Geaciane against the adults on herbaceous plants, will be to capture the bugs by jarring them into a dish partly filled with kerosene and water. On currants, goosberries, sage and other shrubs one should not wait until the adults - appear but capture the nymphs in May. Thus, there are three practicable methods by which this pest can be controlled: kerosene emulsion for the nymphs; destruction of the egg by pruning; and the capture of the nymphs and adults by jarring into receptacles where they are destroyed. Circumstances will largely determine which method will prove the most practicable in specific cases, BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SYNONOMY. Lygaeus lineatus, Fabricius, Ent. Syst. Suppl. (1798), p. 541, No. 324; Syst. Rhyng. (1801), p. 234, No. 152, original descriptions; Jack, J. G., Gar. and For., Sept. 10 (1890), brief. opis 4-vittatus, Say, Heterop. Hemip., p. 20 (1832), description and distribution, (Reprint in Trans. N. Y. Agr. Soc. for 1857, xvii, p. 784 (1858); Walsh—Riley, Am. Ent., i, p. 246 (1869), brief; Packard’s Guide, p. 550 (1869), mention as C. quadrivittatus, Harris; LeBaron, First Rept. Ins. Ill, p. 61 (1871), habits and description; Saunders, 248 AgriouttuRAL Exprmrment Sration, Irmaoa, N. Y. Rept. Ent. Soc. Ont. for 1871, p. 40 (1872), quotes LeBaron principally; Manning, Ins. Life, i, p. 293 (1889), food-plants. Phytocoris bellus, Emmons Nat. Hist. N. Y., Agriculture, v. pl. 30, fig. 1 (1854), figure only. Phytocoris lineatus, Fabr. Fitch, 138th Rept. Ins. N. Y., p. 513-522 (1870), general account. . Lygus lineatus, Fabr. Glover, Rept. for 1875, p. 125, (1876), brief; Glover, MS. notes Journ. Hemip., p. 46, pl. 1, fig. 9 (1876), habits and food-plants; Uhler, Bull. iv, U. 8. Geol. Surv. Terr., p. 506 (1878), distribution; Murtfeldt, Bull. 22, U. 8S. Div. Ent., p. 75 (1890), habits. Poecilocapsus 4-vittatus, Say. Riley, Bull. 12, U. 8. Div. Ent., p. 7 (1887), habits; Webster, Bull. 13, U. 8S. Div. Ent. p. 54 (1887), experiments with. Poecilocapsus vittatus, Uhler in Kingsley’s Stand. Nat. Hist., p. 286 (1886), brief. Poecilocapsus lineatus, Fabr. Reuter. Oefv. Ak. Forh. (Stockholm), xxxil, No. 9, p. 73 (1875), erected the genus; Lintner, First Rept. Ins. N. Y. p. 271-281 (1882), general account; Can. Ent., xvi, 182 (1884), mention; 39th An. Rept. N. Y. Mus. Nat. Hist. p. 77 (1885), same as in 5th Rept.; Country Gent. p. 547 (1887), brief account; 5th Rept. Ins. N. Y,, p. 273 (1889), brief account; Saunders, Ins. Inj. to Fruits, p- 350 (1883), brief account; Uhler, Check, List, p. 19 (1886); Van Duzee, Can. Ent., xix, 71 (1887), mention; Comstock, Intr. to Ent. p. 206 (1888), brief account; Weed, An. Rept. Ohio Exp. Station for 1888, p. 152 (1889), brief; Smith, J. B., Cat. Ins. of N. J. in Rept. State Geol. ii. p. 426 (1890); Cook, Bull. 76, Mich. Expt. Station, p. 11 (1891), brief account; Murtfeldt, Out. of Ent., p. 102° (1891), brief; Coryell, Bull. 92, Mich. Expt. Station, p. 13 (1893), brief. MARK VERNON SLINGERLAND. - -Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. HORTICULTURAL” DIVISION: BULLETIN 59— NOVEMBER, 1893. Does Mulching Retard the Maturity of PUES Pt By L. H. Batiey. 32 ORGANIZATION. Board of Control.—The Trustees of the University. STATION COUNCIL. President — JACOB GOULD SHERMAN. Bip Ae 1) WEBER eh). 1 peas i Trustee of the University. Hon. JOHN B. DUTCHER.... President State Agricultural Society. 7 EE ROBERTA a) ols). ee eon Professor of Agriculture. GEC. CAD WEES.) 2)) cao ma Professor of Chemistry. ONES AW ee ae Professor of Veterinary Science. - Ae NPR ASS 3a Le ot iii ae SN ne Professor of Botany. ge COMSTOCK? 3.550) Hee aan Professor of Entomology. Ae, EAA Ye Ie,

0) Seemenennr 0 it fp gts SRR Re = ti HEY YOM PA eS ey” 2 AG Ai ) “ f d_} \2 {) SS Vi ity SOAs pe = Tit HAIN AY ae Git (ce Aun OCr4 Fia. 2.-- Gidema of Apple Trees, 7 » Bea Mi pTug seu el\ ean eres, aSehoumineestnnn Wl) a eM HSN nee BY Rip ea Ne ce i hee Bs £0 Fias. 1 Anp 2.— Melanconium Fuligineum, Borantcat Drviston. 307 rays. Scale—1mm.; object magnified 10 times more than the scale. Drawn with aid of camera lucida. The cause being known the remedy would be suggested to all, that too vigorous growth should be guarded against and too severe pruning should not be indulged in. GEO. F. ATKINSON. ARTIFICIAL CULTURES OF MELANCONIUM FULIGINEUM. The suggestion made by Miss Southworth* that the Melanconium Suligineuwm (Scrib. et. Viala) Cav., should be placed in the same genus with the Ripe Rot of grapes and apples (Gloeosporium fructigineum, Berk.) led me to make artificial cultures of the fungus for the sake of comparison with cultures of the genus Gloeosporiwm of the same type as the fructigenwm. Material was obtained from Mr. F. 8S. Earle of Ocean Springs, Miss, who was kind enough to take the trouble to collect some fallen grapes during the month of February, 1893, from a vineyard which had been affected with the fungus the previous season. A few of these grapes possessed numerous pustules characteristic of Melan- conium fuligineum and which were filled with spores. With these dilution cultures were started in -Petrie dishes using ordinary nutri- ent agar. In 24 hours the spores were germinating. One to several germ tubes may arise from the spore, usually several. The spores remain continuous, and at first the threads develop septa scantily or indistinctly. The hyphae soon branch and usually profusely quite close to the spore, so that a rudimentary stroma appears to be developed quite near the center of growth. The spores germinate quite readily in the nutrient agar and growth continues readily for a few days, but no spores were developed in the plate cultures even after a period of three weeks. Even after the first few days the fungus no longer grew vigorously. The nutrient agar did not supply the needed kind of nourishment for it, or lacked favorable physical properties. A few of the colonies of the threads known to have siiotanne from spores of the Malanconium fuligineum were transplanted to culture tubes of nutrient agar, but in a month’s time seemed to make no growth or but very little. At the same time several calonies were transplanted to sterilized bean stems in culture tubes. This medium proved to be very favorable for the organis n, for inafew daysa profuse growth appeared * Journal Mycology, Vol, VI., No. 4, 1891, p. 171. 308 AGRicuLTURAL Exprriment Sration, Iruaca, N. Y. at the point of the transplantings. The threads of the fungus grew both within the tissues and upon the surface of the stems. In macro- scopic appearance the surface growth first formed a scant downy, whitish weft with a number of ascending and procumbent threads at the advancing edge of the weft. From the center of growth this was soon succeeded by a darkening of the fungus, brought about chiefly by _ the discoloration of the threads lying close to the substratum, and the appearance of stroma or stools scattered over the surface which gave the stem a punctiform appearance. This growth spread until the entire surface of the stems so far as the moisture extended presented a blackened or charred aspect, studded with numerous black points. The fungus also grows out upon and in the infusion in which the stems are partly immersed, and in time form a thick weft. The elevated stools when magnified simulate in form a pezizoid stroma, being attached to the substratum by a very short stem, and presenting a plane or convex surface, their perpendicular diameter being less than their horizontal diameter. These stools perform the same function in the artificial cultures that the pustules on the berries do, and produce myriads of fuliginous navicular spores. The superfi- cial position of the fruiting stroma is probably due to the difference in the substratum. Sometimes the speres are borne upon the surface of the dark stroma, or very frequently the stroma formsapseudo-pycnidium covered with loose threads some of which bear spores, but the center is occupied by a hymenium from which numerous basidia converge toward the center of the cavity and bear multitudes of the character- istic spores, as shown in figures 1 and 2. When the stroma attains some size there may be several cavities at different relative depths. When the cultures in the Petrie dishes were about one month old the plates were photographed and plate No. 3 is reproduced in figure 3. Since this was a dilution culture for the separation of the fungus the culture is a mixed one and other colonies than those of the Welanconium Suliginewm appear in the plate. Up to this time in the agar the colonies remain colorless. The growth in dilution culture No. 3 where the fungus had more room did not exceed 1 cm. in diameter, and while the growth was not quite compact, radiating threads are shown on the margin of the colony. Inthe photograph the colonies of Melanconium JSuligineum are those of the medium size and the places from which the transplantings were made can readily be seen. In the illustration beside the Melanconium are common moulds, bacteria, and a dark yeast form which produces deep black points in the medium. Compared with cultures of the type of Gloeosporiwn fructigenum which has fallen into my hands, the Melanconium fuliginewm en Borantcat Dryiston. 809 seems to be generally distinct as shown by the characters of germination, the growth in the agar plate, and the characters of fructification on a more solid artificial substratum like sterilized bean stems. n 2 S @ sql gl =a ® =a & =a ® ay ‘ at ay eg ol are Se ee ec eo Soave B [BEIOPUE! sears eo = I Ze = I a = ‘IVAA Sapa bs oy a eee Ree fo ATi e ® Be 4 Es ® e 2 uzidigdon 3 B 4 Q 5 B 3 WALSAS TIOL ¢ ‘ pi ee aS el ee eee ot ee eee en ee *PNIHLON ‘UAZIULUA - “SMUONV] GUY A WuUvg ‘CHAOTIV,] UHANNOG 316 AgriouLTURAL Exprriment Station, IrHaca, N. Y. CONCLUSION. From these and many other similar experiments conducted in Europe, it is believed that on strong or clayey lands it is often more economical to secure available plant food by culture than by the pur- chase of fertility. That in strong wheat soils there is more plant food than the variety of wheat grown can utilize, though enough may not be available to produce a maximum crop. That in our changeable climate the wheat plant is so handicapped at times for want of suitable climatic conditions, that it is unable to appropriate much of the available plant food in the soil and hence is often not benefited by additional nourishment. That the plants were unable to elaborate more food than the amount furnished by the soil under the superior culture. That under certain conditions even a moderate amount of manure or fertilizers may not only fail to increase the yield but may be positively injurious to the crop to which they are applied. I. P. ROBERTS. CORN — DETASSELING. July 14, 1893, three plots were marked out in the University corn fields for experiments in detasseling. Plots I and II were side by side in a field of well drained gravelly loam and the corn early and uniform- > ly good. Plot III was on aclay knoll ina field of late corn that suffered severely from the drouth during the latter part of the season. All plots were surrounded by corn that had not been detasseled. Plots I and II contained sixteen rows each and: plot III nine rows; each row contained fifteen hills. In plots I and III the tassels were removed from alternate rows, while in plot II every fourth row was left with tassels on, that is the tassels were removed from the first three rows, left on the fourth, removed from the next three and left on the eighth row and so on throughout the remaining rows of the plot. The tassels were removed by hand by pulling them out as soon as they appeared. This operation was performed quite rapidly as com- paratively little force was necessary to cause the stalk to break just above the upper joint and without any injury to the leaves whatever, if done before the tassels had become fully expanded. From the experiments in detasseling made at the station it is thought to be of prime importance to completely remove the tassel before it has expanded . 4 AGRICULTURAL DrvisIon. 317 and commenced to shed pollen. As the tassel at this time is partially protected, within the folds of the leaves, it can only be completely removed by grasping the top of the tassel and giving it an upward pull which causes it to break off as described above. Experiments in detassel_ ing have been made at other experiment stations where the practice has been to remove the tassels by cutting them off with a corn knife which would either cause an injury to the leaves or a delay until the tassels had become fully expanded and had shed pollon, as some tassels will shed pollen while yet partially protected within the folds of the leaves. In either case a benefit ought not to be expected from the practice. Our experiments show that the object of removing the tassels is not accomplished if they are allowed to remain until fully expanded and _become polleniferous. The following tables give the results of the practice from each of the three plots: PLOT I. ' io a rvitanll ae NON OF | No. of | No. of | Weight | Weight | woignt R e asseis. | goo poor 0 ‘00 0) oor stalks.) tive" |eo | sard’| Geen | cate. | OF stems ears. 65 20 40 | 28 17.5 5.5 36 61 13 36 | 14 14/5 4 35 67 16 29 | 31 13 7.5 38 6 20 26 | 18 13 5 40 72 27 30 | 29 14 7.5 38 80 21 28 | 28 13.5 6 41 65 17 28 | 28 13 6 32.5 73 22 25 | 26 10.5 6.5 38.5 70 17 39 | 12 17 3 34 69 18 36 | 16 16 4.5 38 67 19 32 | 29 15 7 38 66 19 38 «|s17 18 4 39 68 25 30 | 28 14 7 40 66 17 29 «| 17 12.5 4 35 63 21 30 | 23 13.5 7.5 38.5 82 18 30 | 27 12 5.5 40 “par | 62 | 258 | 208 | 17 51. | 290 560 | 148 | 248 | 158 110 | 39.5] 306.5. Average off ......| .....00. ~ 67.1; 20.2| 32.2| 2.4 | 14.6| 6.3] 36.26 Average On ......] ceesseee 70. 18.5 31. 19.75 12,7 4.9 88.31 Yield per acre, tassels off, 5,000 pounds. Yield per acre, tassels on, 4,449 pounds. Gain by removing tassels, 12.4 per cent. 318 A@RIcULTURAL ExprrmeEnt Station, IrHaca, N. Y. PLOT II. No. of No. of | No. of | Weight | Weight No. of | abor- Weight ROW. Tassels. > good oor | of good | of poor stalks.| tive | ors. | Sars Be ears, | of stalks. e ears. 66 25 27 31 12.5 8 39 61 22 39 17 17.5 5 37.5 72 18 43 23 18 6.5 89.5 71 14 84 18 14 4 35 62 17 36 18 AS 4.5 35 66 18 45 20 20.5 AD 40 69 20 83 30 14.5 6.5 39 72 19 30 26 12 5 33 73 25 31 31 13 8 41 75 20 34 83 15 8 46.5 74 29 36 82 15.5 7 45.5 60 22 28 19 12.5 4 39.5 64 20 385 25 15.5 6.5 42 60 21 87 20 16.5 5 87 69 23 29 31 13 8.5 42 61 10 28 24 12.5 4.5 40 of 811 258 425 811 189 79 4¢4 Motel ON: sire. 264 65 120 87 51 17.5 147.5. Average oOff......] ws... 67.6 21.5 35.4 | 25.7 15.7 6.6 40.8 AVerage ON ......] weeeeeee 66 16.2 30 21.75 12.7 4.4 37.4 Yield per acre tassels off, 5,316 pounds. Yield per acre tassels on, 4,077 pounds. Gain by removing tassels, 30.3 per cent. From the accompanying tables it will be seen that in each plot there was a greater yield of corn from the detasseled rows than from the rows where the tassels were left on. Not only from the total yield of corn but also a gain in the weight of both the good and poor ears. From each plot the weight of good ears from detasseled rows was greater than the weight of good ears from the rows with tassels; the same is true concerning the poor ears from each plot. The average weight of the ears from rows with the tassels on, correspond very nearly with the weight of the ears from detasseled rows, showing that the increased yield is from a greater number of ears rather than larger ears. There is also shown a tendency toward greater ear production on the detasseled rows by the increased number of abortive ears. All sets” bearing silk, but without grain, were classed as abortive ears. AGRICULTURAL Drviston. 319 PLOT III. i be 3 5 3 B . ro) ° ° a hee |: fe 2 |& | a | 2. v7} i} wu we I . ee a2 ROW. Tassels. | % ° g On op oe ic) z 4 hy i ® >) g fe g > g p®? re S 35 3 8 a a a ¥ g SY ay a A 1g E 3s | 3s 3 Zz z % Zi E E E 64 7 19 24 6 4 25 57 21 21 29 6 4 Bie Uae 61 25 15 25 3 ro det 60 14 19 24 5.5] 4 25 54 19 16 25 5.5 |. x) pes 70 15 21 36 7 5 26 63 21 15 32 4 3.5 | 24 67 21 28 28 7.51 8.5. | 92.5 74 17 98 26 7.5) 3 33 316 s9 | 93 | 139 28 | 19.5 | 130 254 71 89 117 26 1 103.5 @a.a') MB | ise kieeaed | Be | BGO Wenge 63.6| 17.9| 22.25] 29:25) 6.5 | 4.25 | 25.87 Yield per acre tassels off, 2,559 pounds, Yield per acre tassels on, 2,262 pounds. Gain by removing tassels, 13 per cent. The report of a recent experiment in detasseling is published in Bulletin 25 of the Nebraska Experiment Station, where the tassels were removed by the use of a corn knife, and the results are summed up in the following conclusions: 1. “The detasseling of corn seems to be a positive detriment and loss, as shown by the results in two years’ trial. This is not conclusive evidence, but strongly indicative of what we may expect from the practice. 2. “The expense is about $1.25 per acre and would require an increased yield from three to five bushels of corn to pay for the labor involved, thus depending on the price of corn in any given locality. 3. “Although the results of the experiment in 1892 are so strongly contrasted and so widely divergent, yet we do not deem them decisive. We propose to repeat the experiment on still larger areas and with different varieties of corn and note the results before we announce the positive rule that ‘ detasseling does not pay.’” Although not conclusive the experiments made at this station indi- cate that there is more pollen produced by the corn plant than is neces- 320 AgricutrurRAL Experiment Sration, I7vHaca, N. Y. sary to produce a maximum crop and that this over-production is an’ exhaustive process. The following are the results in brief of detasseling practiced at this station for four years: In 1890 a gain in total yield of corn of 50.6 per cent. In 1891 a very slight gain. In 1892 a gain in total yield of corn of 21 per cent. In 1893 a gain in total yield of corn of 19.3 per cent. GEO. C. WATSON. CoezIs [einjeN “ysnsny ul payoa[[oo jo ydvigojoyg B W019) MOTSq Woy uses sv ‘esRqIg UMOIG 8} *yeoT 900 UO BADGE WOIy Ur esvesiq Ot} Surqueseidaa SeARO'T puv seaveyT 9ai1qy, uo SOABITT POSOJUT JO JOWsNIN —'T ‘HLT R , *) > ip ¢ yeaa NTS meee Oe Entomological Department. : THE PEAR LEAF BLISTER. Phytoptus pyri. Order ACARINA ; family PHYTOPTIDAE. Reddish blister-like spots an eighth of an inch or more in diameter appear ing on the pear leaves in the spring and changing to black corky spotsin July, each with a minute opening in it. In Bulletin 23 of this Station, issued in December, 1890, this disease of pear leaves was discussed at some length. It was then realized - that the only methods of checking the disease which could be sug- gested were too laborious to be practicable, except where the trees were young or few in number. This need of a cheaper and easier method of fighting this pest has been the subject for experimentation during the last two years. Some of these experiments have been strikingly successful, and we are now confident that this disease, which is alarmingly on the increase in the United States and Canada, can be easily and cheaply controlled. As the disease has been studied during an entire season, other phases of it, not before recorded, have been seen. The disease has also appeared in several other localities, and is causing considerable alarm among pear growers, judging from the reports of correspondents. It is the purpose of this article then to record these new facts, and to tell pear growers how the pest can be easily and cheaply combated. As Bulletin 23 is now out of print, it has also seemed best to again discuss _ the disease in detail. ' Symptoms of the disease.— The disease appears on the pear leaves before they are fully expanded from the bud, in the spring, in the form of red blister-like spots an eighth of an inch or more in diameter. During this red stage of the disease, the spots are more conspicuous on the upper surface of the leaves. About June 1, the spots gradu- ally change to a green color hardly distinguishable from the unaffected 41 7 322 AGricutruraAL Exprriment Station, Irnaca, N. Y. . portions of the leaf; this change takes place on the lower side of the leaf first, and the spots may thus be red above and green below. In this green stage, which seems to have been heretofore overlooked, the badly diseased leaves present a slightly thicker, corky appearance; otherwise the disease is not readily apparent, especially where not severe. This green stage lasts about a week or ten days; and about June 15 the spots may be found changing to a dark brown color, beginning on the lower side of the leaf. The tissue of the diseased Fig. 2.— Part of an infested leaf, seen from below, showing several of the galls considerably enlarged. (From a photograph.) parts or spots then present a dead, dry, brown or black, corky appear- ance. ‘The spots are also more conspicuous on the lower side (Fig. 1), and remain unchanged until the leaves fall in the autumn. They occur either singly, scattered over the surface of the leaves or often coalesce, forming large blotches which sometimes involve Py a large portion of the leaf (Fig. 1). The disease often appears on the young leaves of the new growth during the summer. The spots are then also first red and pass through the green stage to the brown. No variety of pears seems to be exempt from the attacks of the disease. Entromo.LocicAL DEPARTMENT. 323 The disease is not known to attack anything but the pear in this country.* This Pear Leaf Blister is sometimes mistaken for a common fungus disease, the Pear Scab, which attacks the pear, also forming blackish spots on the surface of the leaves which have a slight resemblance on the blisters. The fungus, however, does not produce the blister-like corky appearance; nor is there scarcely any thickening of the leaf where it is attacked by the fungus. These diseased portions of the leaf are termed galls, as are the vari- ous abnormal vegetable growths produced by true insects. Figure 2 represents several of these galls, or blisters as they are sometimes called by fruit growers; the galls are magnified about six diameters and well illustrate their blister-like corky appearance. In figure 3 is shown a section of a pear leaf through one of the galls, made doubtless while the gall was in its red stage. Here the leaf is seen to be greatly thickened at the diseased part. And in addition to the swelling of Fia. 3.— Section of a leaf ; g, gall in itsred stage; n,n, normal structure of the leaf; 0, opening of the gall; e, eggs. (After Sorauer.) both surfaces of the leaf, its internal structure is seen to be modified. In some parts there is a multiplication of the tissue cells, and in others a large part of the cells have been destroyed. As the season advances and the galls become dry and brown, the thickening of the leaf becomes less marked, especially on the upper surface. Figure 4 represents a section of a leaf collected and studied in October. Here the tissues in the diseased spot are dead, and there has been a shrinkage of the affected parts until the gall is but slightly thicker than the uninjured portion of the leaf. If these galls be examined from the lower side of the leaf with a hand lens (an instrument which every fruit grower should own) there can be seen near the center of each a minute round hole. It can be discerned in some of the galls represented in figure 2. This hole leads * Mr. Crawford records the finding of similar diseased spots on a fern (a Gleichenia) growing among infested pear trees in Australia. Although the inhabitants of the spots differed in color from those on the pear, he believed this to be due to the difference of the food and concluded that the disease was the same on the fern and pear, SP 324 AgGricutrurAL Experiment Station, Irnaca, N. Y. into a cavity within the substance of the leaf (Figs. 3 and 4, 0) and in this cavity reside the creatures that cause the disease. Appearance of the Inhabitants of the Galls.— The minute creatures that attack the tissues of the pear leaf in such a manner as to cause the’ Fia, 4.—Section of leaf showing structure of gallin autumn; g, gall; n, uninjured part of leaf; o, opening of gall. abnormal growths —the galls — which form their homes, are what are popularly known as mites. They are exceedingly small, being practi- cally invisible to the unaided eye; and even with a good lens they appear as minute whitish specks. In fact, the best of microscopes is necessary in order to study their structure satisfactorily. So small are they that it would take 150 of them placed end to end and 600 placed side by side to measure an inch. They are usually whitish in color, sometimes with a slight red or brown tinge. The body is cylindrical | in form, tapering slightly towards each end (Fig. 5). It is ringed throughout the greater part of its length with about 100 very fine rings. Its four legs are placed near the head end of its body, so that when the mite walks it drags its body after it. The head is in the form of a conical snout, within which are two sword-like jaws. The body and legs are furnished with a few hairs which are constant in - number and position. Classification of the Pest.— The cause of this Pear Leaf Blister is not a true insect, but a mite. (The mites are more closely allied to Fia. 5.— The adult mite, greatly magnified. - the Spiders and Scorpions than to the true insects.) The southern Cattle-tick, the Itch-mite and the Red Spider are well-known members — of the same order (Acarina) of animals to which this pear pest belongs. Asa rule, newly-hatched mites have three pairs of legs and a fourth pair is added during growth, The members of the genus EnromoiogicAL DEPARTMENT. 325 _Phytoptus, to which this pear pest belongs, differ, however, from all other mites in that they never possess but two pairs of legs.* The popular name for this pear pest that has come into general use is the Pear Leaf Blister Mite. Crawford called it the Pear Phytoptus, the Anglicized form of its scientific name Phytoptus pyri. The Distribution and Past History of the Mite.—'The cause of this peculiar affection of pear leaves was discovered by Scheuten, a Ger- man, in 1857; doubtless the disease itself had been observed many years previously. Later German writers, Sorauer in 1873 and 1886, Kaltenbach in 1874 and Frank in 1880, speak of the disease as com- mon in Europe. In 1877 Murray records it as common in England and on the continent. Crawford states that public attention was first called to the pest in South Australia in 1881. In 1891 French found it had gained a foothold in Victoria orchards. In 1888 Fletcher received specimens of the disease from Nova Scotia, and in 1891 he found it was very widespread and serious throughout Canada. These are all the references to the occurrence of the pest in other countries that we have seen. The first record of the appearance of the disease in the United States is in 1872, when Glover found it common in Maryland. In 1880 Burrill said the disease was widespread in this country. Osborn found the mite in large numbers on some Russian pear trees in Iowa in 1884. He thought the pest had probably been introduced with the scions of the trees recently imported from Europe. In 1890 specimens were sent to Dr. Lintner from Charlotte, N. C., with the report that the disease was very prevalent there. In 1891 we received the mites from a correspondent in Fayetteville, Ark., who said his trees were badly affected. At the meeting of the Association of Economic Entomologists in 1892 Webster of Ohio and Smith of New Jersey reported the pest as very abundant in their respective States that year. This year McCarthy has found the disease very prev- alent in the orchards of North Carolina. In 1889 and 1890 the pest was abundant in pear orchards in western New York. We received specimens from Oswego in 1891; and Dr, * These curious four-legged mites seem to have been first observed in 1834. For seventeen years they were thought to be immature forms of some eight- — legged species. In 1851 Dujardin (An. des Sci. Nat., 8d Ser., vol. 15, p. 166) showed why he believed them to be adult forms and proposed the generic name Phytoptus for such four-legged forms. In 1857 Scheuten, who described the Pear Leaf Blister Mite, criticized Dujardin’s work and adhered to the theory that they were but immature forms. During the succeeding twenty years several observers studied the four-legged mites, and since 1877 it has been the prevailing opinion that they are adult animals forming a distinct family among the mites. as a 326 AgricuttuRAL Exprrment Station, IrHaca, N. Y. Lintner reported it as excessively abundant in eastern New York in 1892. The disease is very common in pear orchards near Ithaca, and has very noticeably increased within the past three years. It doubtless occurs in a majority of the pear orchards in the State. This completes the recorded history of the disease in our own State and other States. These data indicate that the disease is of European origin. It had become established in the United States in 1872, and had reached Aus- tralia in 1881, and Canadain1888. Itis widely distributed over the north- ern, eastern and southern portions of the United States, and has doubtless been introduced into other sections on stock bought in the east orin Europe. Its Destructiveness.— The destruction wrought by the mite thus far has not been very serious except in a few cases where it was excessively abundant. The infested leaves fall from the trees sooner than the others, thus depriving the tree of its breathing organs and materially weakening it. Without its leaves the tree cannot store up the necessary food in its winter buds to insure a healthy vigorous tree and a full crop the next season. The freer from disease the leaves can be kept during the summer and fall, the more vigorous will be the tree and the better will be the quality and the greater the quantity of the fruit the next season. Pear growers should therefore be on the watch for the Pear Leaf Blister, and not let it get a foothold in their orchards. The Life History of the Mite.— According to German observers, the exceedingly minute oval grayish eggs are laid by the females in the spring within the galls that they have formed, and here the young are hatched. How long they remain within the gall of their parent has not been ascertained. But sooner or later they escape through the opening in it, and seeking a healthy part of a leaf or more often crawl- ing to the tenderer leaves of the new growth, they work their way into the tissue and new galls are thus started. In this manner the galls on a tree are often rapidly multiplied during the summer. The mites live within the galls, feeding upon the plant cells, until the drying of the leaves in autumn. They then leave the galls through the openings and migrate to the winter buds at or near the ends of the twigs. Here they work their way beneath the two or three outer scales of the buds where they remain during the winter. Fifteen or twenty may often be found under a single bud scale. In this position they are ready for business in the spring as soon as growth begins; and they doubtless do get to work early, for their red galls are already conspicuous before the leaves get unrolled.* *Mr. Crawford says: ‘‘ There are two ways in which the mite survives the wintér when all the leaves are shed — first, by hibernating among the hairs of and in the leaf bud, and, secondly, by forming colonies under the tender bark of last year’s growth, as I have found them in both situations.” ¥ n et / EnroMoLocioAL DEPARTMENT. 327 The mites instinctively migrate from the leaves as soon as the latter become dry. Whenever branches were brought into the insectary, as soon as the leaves began to dry, the mites left them and gathered in great numbers in the buds. It is impossible to accurately estimate the number of mites that may live in the galls ona single leaf. Sections of galls made while in their red stage would seldom cut through more than two or three mites; but sections of the brown galls often showed four or five times as many. Thus on a badly infested leaf there is without doubt at least a thousand of the mites. Methods of Destroying the Mites.— Owing to the fact that the mites live within the tissues of the leaves during the growing season, they are then beyond the reach of ordinary insectides. It is obvious that they would not be affected by any poison dusted or sprayed upon the surface of the leaves. In 1890 we demonstrated that the mites could not be reached by an application of kerosene emulsion to the leaves. It was hoped that a sufficient quantity of the liquid would pass into the galls through their open mouths to injuriously affect the mites, but it did not. Thus the only practicable method of combating the pest while in the galls is to gather the infested leaves, either by picking or pruning, and burn them. This method is a sure one, and is practicable where the pest is just starting in an orchard, or where the trees are small or when but a few large trees are attacked. It can be done at any time before the leaves dry and fall in the autumn, but the earlier in the season the better. In May, while the galls are red, would be the best time to do it. The most vulnerable point at which the disease can be attacked on a large scale is when the mite is in its winter quarters in the terminal winter buds. Doubtless the pest receives a.considerable check in many orchards at the annual pruning to which the trees are subjected. In this manner many of the winter buds containing the mites are removed and the burning of the brush soon after destroys the pest. The methods just discussed are sure means and are practicable within certain limits. But a method which is cheaper, easier, more practicable, and one that is effective and applicable to large orchards, has resulted from our experiments during the last two years. One winter while experimenting to learn the effects of kerosene oil on dormant wood, it was noticed that the oil penetrated every crevice of the wood with surprising thoroughness; and it was at once suspected that kerosene might be used with effectiveness against this mite while in its winter quarters under the bud scales. In the fall of 1891, before the leaves fell, several badly infested trees were labeled; and in Februry, 1892, two trees were treated with undi-< awry: P : 3 dsr Vy 828 AgricutrorAL Exprrmentr Srarion, Irmaca, N. Y. luted kerosene, one tree with kerosene emulsion diluted with two and one-third parts of water, and one tree was left untreated as a check. In the spring the mites appeared in force on the check tree, but upon the treated trees not more than a dozen galls appeared during the season, the pest having thus been nearly exterminated. The trees treated with the undiluted kerosene were nearly killed, so that in this form kerosene can not be used. with safety on the pear. The only apparent effect upon the trees treated with the emulsion, however, was a slight retardation in the unfolding of the leaves in the spring. This experiment was of course only an indicator but it gave the clue. The result was not given to fruit growers at the time for it needed further verification on a larger scale, and it was desirable to know what per- centage of kerosene it was necessary to apply to do the work successfully. In September, 1892, we found sixteen quite badly infested trees in the Horticultural orchard here at the Station. These were then labeled, and March 10, 1898, all but two (which were left for a check) were sprayed with kerosene emulsion diluted with from three to ten parts of water. The trees were standards varying from six to fifteen feet in height, but it was found that it required only about one and a half quarts of the diluted emulsion and about two minutes of time to spray a tree thoroughly from all sides with a knapsack sprayer. July 10, 1893, trees were examined and it was found that the four sprayed with the emulsion diluted with three parts of water were prac- tically free from the disease. The four trees sprayed with the emulsion diluted five times, and the four on which the emulsion diluted with eight parts of water was used showed a very few galls, not one per cent of the number on the trees the preceding year. Two trees which had been sprayed with the emulsion diluted with ten parts of water showed nearly as many galls as before. The two check trees were as badly infested as they were the year before. These results showed that the emulsion was effective when diluted with not more than eight parts of water, or containing about eight per cent of kerosene. The remarkable success of these experiments could be fully realized only by one who had seen the diseased trees in the fall and again a year later. To illustrate it graphically one need but imagine the four leaves shown in figure 1 (which were taken in the fall | and are typical specimens of the leaves on many branches of the trees before they were treated) passed through some process by which all of the galls could be removed except one or two on each leaf; this com- parison does not exaggerate the difference between the trees before and after treatment with the emulsion. In all of our work with pre- ventive methods against insect attacks, we have never met with more cpa ca 3 id i 4 y ‘ore ee Pe eae —— EntromMo.oacicaAL DEPARTMENT. 829 striking success than we obtained by the use of the emulsion against this Pear Leaf Blister Mite.* The emulsion can be applied with equal effectiveness at any time after the leaves have fallen in autumn and before the buds have begun to swell in the spring. Dilute the emulsion + with not over five to seven parts of water. Spray the tree thoroughly from every side, takmg especial care to hit every terminal bud, for this is where most of the mites congregate. There is no danger of injuring the tree with this dilution of the emulsion. In this manner the Pear Leaf Blister Mite can, we believe, be nearly exterminated in an orchard by a single thorough spraying. The method also has the great advantage of being cheap, easy to apply and practicable on a large scale. This spraying of the tree in winter with so strong an emulsion may also destroy some of the adults of that pest most dreaded by all pear growers—the Pear Psylla — which is then in hibernation in the crevices of the bark on the trunk and large limbs; therefore spray the tree all over. *Mr Crawford doubtless first suggested the use of kerosene emulsion against this pest in winter. He said: ‘“‘The habits of the mite in the winter time afford a clue to one method of treating it. For this purpose I would recommend three washes to be experimented with, viz.: Kerosene emulsion, one to fourteen; caustic’soda, say four, eight and twelve ounces to the gallon; and sulphuretted lime.” He tried no experiments and our results show that to dilute an emulsion would be of little avail. Mr. Crawford’s recommendation was unknown to us until after we began to write this article. Other authors have recommended the use of the emulsion when the mites are eaving the buds or while migrating to the buds. It would be effective if the mites could be hit at this latter time, which would, however, necessitate very careful watching with a good lens to determine the exact time to make the application. They do not leave the buds in the spring, but attack the leaves while yet in the bud; and the mites are out of reach in their galls before the leaves unroll. + To make the emulsion, thoroughly dissolve one-half pound hard or soft soap in one gallon boiling water. While this solution is still very hot add two gal- lons of kerosene and quickly begin to agitate the whole mass through a syringe or force-pump, drawing the liquid into the pump and forcing it back into the dish. Continue this for five minutes or until the whole mass assumes a creamy color and consistency which will adhere to the sides of the vessel, and not glide off like oil. It may be now readily diluted with cold rain water, or the whole mass may be allowed to cool when it has a semi-solid form, not unlike loppered milk. This standard emulsion if covered and placed in a cool dark place will keep for a long time. In making a dilution from this cold emulsion, it is necessary to dissolve the amount required in three or four parts of boiling water, after which cold rain water may be added in the required quantities, 42. » powers: tl. “viet & 330 Ag@rRicuLruRAL ExprertmmMent Station, Irsaca, N. Y. To summarize briefly, our experiments strongly indicate that the Pear Leaf Blister can be nearly exterminated in a badly infested orchard by a single thorough spraying of the trees in winter with kerosene emulsion diluted with from five to seven parts of water. BIBLioGRAPHY. Typhledromus pyri Scheuten, Wiegman’s Archiv. (1857), p. 104 (translated in An. Nat. Hist., XLX, 475), original description; Packard, Guide to Insects, p. 666 (1869}, brief; Glover, Rept. of U. S. Entomol. jor 1872, brief; Kaltenbach, Pflanzenfeinde, p. 204 (1874), brief; beers Am. Ent. III, 74 (1880), refers to Glover’s account. Phytoptus pyri Sorauer, Vers. deut. Naturf. und Arzte (Wiesbaden), p- 133 (1873); Pflanzenkrankheiten, part I, p. 814 (1886), detailed account; Murray, Aptera, p. 358 (1877), brief account; Burrill, Gard. Mo. and Hort., X XII, for January, 1880, general account; Riley, Am. Ent., III, 26 (1880), review of Burrill’s account; Frank, Die Krank. der Pflanzen, p. 699 (1880), desc. of gall; Garman, XII Rept. Insects of Ill. (Forbes’ First Rept.), p. 140 (1883), quotes Burrill; Orborn, Bull. 2 Iowa Agr. Col., p. 56 (1884), brief account; Osborn and Underwood, Can. Ent., X VIII, 12 (1886), listed; Crawford, Rept. on Fusicladiums, etc., in Australia, p. 46 (1886), general account; Lintner, Count. Gent., Oct. 2, 1890, p. 781, general account; Ins. Life, vol. 105 (1892), men- tion; Comstock and Slingerland, Bull. 23, Cornell Agr. Expt. Sta., p. 103 (1890), detailed account; Weed, Insects and Insecticides, p. 68 (1891), general account; French, Destr. Insects of Victoria, part I, p. 119 (1891), general account, col. plate; Fletcher, Rept. for 1891, p. 198 (1892), general account; Ins Life, vol. 125 (1892), mention; Rept. for 1892, p. 146 (1893), mention; Slingerland, Ins. Life, vol. 104 (read before Ass. of Ec. Ent., August 16, 1892), general account; Webster, Ins. Life, vol. 105 (1892), mention; Smith, Ins. Life, vol. 105 (1892) mention; McCarthy, Bull. 92, N. Car. Agr. Expt. Sta., p. 99 (1893), brief. MARK VERNON SLINGERLAND. Tuber of Stachys Floridana, Horticultural Division. A NEW FOOD PLANT.— Stachys Floridana.* Two years ago, Dr. Erwin F. Smith, of Washington, sent us a curi- ous tuber which he picked up on the sea coast in Florida. For two years an interesting progeny has been grown from this tuber, which proves to be Stachys Floridana, a plant not before introduced to culti- vation, so far as I know. In general appearance, the plant is much like the Chorogi or Stachys Sieboldii which is sold as an esculent by the seedsman, and a detailed report of which was made from this station two years ago.t It differs from the Chorogi, amongst other things, in its more slender habit, smoothness, and its long-stalked cordate leaves. The tubers are produced as freely as in that species and are generally somewhat larger. ‘The illustration shown herewith is a life-size picture of the greater portion of a tuber, which, however, was rather above the average size. The tubers commonly reach the length of four to six inches, and the joints are of nearly uniform thickness. The flavor is fully equal to the Chorogi, and we sometimes think it better, being per- haps, somewhat more crisp and brittle. The plant has not yet been grown in the open ground, but we now have sufficient stock to make the experiment the coming season. I expect that the plant will be able to endure our winters with the protection of a mulch, for tubers that have been frozen grow readily. There is every prospect that this inter- esting species will add another attractive vegetable to our gardens. Stachys Floridana is known to occur only in eastern Florida, and it is one of the comparatively little known plants of the genus. Chap- man, in his Flora of the Southern United States, calls it an annual, but Gray describes it as producing “a moniliform tuber of two or three inches in length.” Gray says that the plant is “ barely a foot high” but under cultiva- tion it grows to the height of two feet. - * Stachys Floridana, Shuttleworth, MSS.; Bentham, D. C. Prodr. xii. 478 (1848). + Bulletin 37, p. 894. 382 AaricuttuRAL Experiment Station, Irmaca, N. Y. THE MOLE-PLANT.— Euphorbia Lathyris.* The horticultural community was interested last spring in the announcement of Samuel Wilson, of Mechanicsville, Penn., that he had a plant which will drive moles from the garden. This plant, although said to be biennial, was called the Mole-Tree, and the account was verified by the picture, which shows a diminutive tree beneath which lies the corpse of a mole. Nothing is said by the introducer ‘about the origin, nativity or botanical affinities of the plant. We were able to secure but one plant of the Mole-Tree, and we were so choice of it that it has been grown in the greenhouse. It turns out to be an interesting old garden plant, which has a continuous history of at least three hundred years, and which was known as a medici- nal plant to Galen in the second century. It is the Caper Spurge, Euphorbia Lathyris. The name Spurge is applied to many related plants, in reference to their purgative qualities, and this particular species is called Caper Spurge from the fact that the little seed-like fruits are sometimes used as a substitute for capers. The plant is known chiefly as a household medicine, although it is used in materia medica and is figured by Millspaugh in his recent work upon Ameri- can Medicinal Plants. Its use asa food plant seems, fortunately, to have ceased. Johnson, in Sowerby’s Useful Plants of Great Britain, 1862, speaks of this use of it as follows: ‘The three-celled capsules are about the size of a large caper, and are often used as a substitute for that condiment, but are extremely acrid, and not fit to eat till they have been long macerated in salt and water and afterwards in vine- gar ; indeed it may be doubted whether they are wholesome even in that state.” This plant is a native of Europe, but it has long been an inhabitant of old gardens in this country, and it has run wild in some of the eastern states. Its use as a mole repeller is not recent. Pursh, in writing of the plant in 1814, in his Flora of North America, says that “Tt is generally known in America by the name of Mole-plant, it being supposed that no moles disturb the ground where this plant grows.” Darlington makes a similar statement in Flora Cestrica, 1837: “This foreigner has become naturalized about many gardens,— having been introduced under a notion that it protected them from the incursions of moles.” In later botanies it is frequently called Mole- plant. Ido not know if there is any foundation for these repeated * Euphorbia Lathyris, Linneeus, Sp. Pl. 655 (1758). ) ie (56 natural siz Stachys Floridana. A Young Mole-plant End view ft aes pres } HoxsticutrugAnL Division. 333 statements that the Caper Spurge is objectionable to moles, but the fact that the notion is old and widespread raises a presumption that the plant may possess such attributes. The statement occurs only in American works, so farasI know. It would be interesting to know the experiences of those who have grown the plant for a number of years, for the subject is worth investigation. But we cannot too strongly deprecate the practice of introducing plants to the public without giving purchasers definite knowledge of their history and nature, and without having detailed proof that the plants possess the virtues which are claimed for them. It would have been better in the present example, no doubt, to have submitted the plant to a botanist before introducing it, in order that its proper name and history might have been determined; and if the public is at all inclined to buy a mole- plant it would have been persuaded much more by the long tradition of its virtues than by any consequential statement of its value. The Caper Spurge is apparently biennial, although Boissier, a cele- brated monographer of the euphorbias, calls it annual. The plant is very unlike in its early and flowering stages. Until it begins to branch and flower, the leaves are long linear-lanceolate, opposite, and arranged in four perfect rows down the thick, smooth stem. As this stage of the plant is rarely illustrated or described, I have introduced here a photograph of our Mole-plant as it appeared eight months after its receipt from Mr. Wilson. It was placed horizontally and an end view was taken in order to show the serial arrangement of leaves. "The plant is exceedingly curious and interesting, and we shall grow it in our greenhouses as an ornamental subject. Few plants have a more novel or striking appearance. In its second or flowering stage, the leaves are ovate and shorter. Mr. Wilson writes me that he knew this plant in old gardens more than fifty years ago, where it had a reputation for expelling moles, but he lost sight of it until a short time since, when he again met with the plant. It was then propagated and introduced to the public. | ORCHARD COVERS. A year ago* a report was made upon the use of the European vetch ( Vicia sativa) as a plant for growing in orchards, — to afford a cover for the soil in late summer, fall and winter, and to provide fertilizer’ when plowed under, the following spring. Observations have been en ee 0 *The Vetch or Tare as an Orchard Plant, Bull. 59, Cornell Exp. Sta. 354, 334 Ag@RicuLTURAL Exprertment Sration, Iryaca, N. Y. continued upon the vetch this year, and experiments have been tried with common field peas, cow peas, and other plants, as covers for orchard lands. | The vetch is an annual leguminous plant which continues its growth long after frost and which mats down with the snow into a perfect, carpet-like covering. In the spring the vines are so well decayed that the cover can be plowed under easily. The vetch can be sown late in June or early in July in this State, and the plants will cover the ground with a dense tangled mulch two feet deep when winter sets in. Last year (1892) we sowed the vetch June 16. This year we sowed one area June 20, and another June 28. Both made an ideal mulch, and the plants were green and still growing late in November. They pro- duced no seeds, and but very few flowers. About a bushel of seed should be sown to the acre. The seed is large and germinates readily, and is likely to catch at almost any time during the summer. Some idea of the dense growth of the vetch this year may be obtained when I say that one patch overcame and obscured a heavy growth of horse radish which had been in the ground two years. I am confident that upon fairly good soil, good results can be obtained with vetch sown as late as the middle and possibly the last of July. We have obtained our seed from J. M. Thorburn & Co., of New York, who sell it for $3.50 per bushel. Other dealers probably keep it. An analysis of the vetch, as given in our report for last year and repeated below, shows that it is rich in fertilizer value. There has been very considerable inquiry concerning the value of cow peas for northern orchards. Sixteen varieties were grown at the Station this year for the purpose of ascertaining which one will mature in this latitude; and over half an acre was sown to the Black pea, which Professor Massey, of North Carolina, thought likely to prove the best variety for our purpose. These black peas. were obtained of L. R. Wyatt, Raleigh, N. C., and were sown June 20. The land was clay and variable in contour, comprising two dryish knolls, with a moist vale lying between them. The peas were slow in starting, owing to the hard soil, but they made a fair growth in August and early Septem- ber. In the vale, the plants grew nearly two feet high and covered the ground well, but on the knolls the soil was not covered. The plants had just begun to flower when they were killed by the first frost. The leaves fell off, and the bare, stiff stems now afford very little protection to the soil. The varieties of cow peas grown for the purpose of ascertaining the earliness of the various kinds, were sown May 31 in rich garden loam. These peas were obtained from the experiment stations of North HorticutturaL Division. 335 Carolina, Arkansas and Louisiana. The varieties ripening seeds are ten, as follows: Black, from N. C. ‘Black Eye, N. ©. Blue, La. California Bird’s Eye, Ark. Clay, N. C. Gray Prolific, N. C. Large White, La. Whipporwill, N. C., Ark., La. Yellow Prolific, N. C. Yellow Sugar Chowder, Ark. The varieties which did not mature seeds are the following : Black, from La. Brown Hye, Ark. Clay,- La. Conch, N. C. Indian, La. King, La. Lady, La. Purple Hull, La. Stewart, N. C. The varieties which seemed best adapted to this latitude were the Black and Whipporwill. The latter I fruited also at Lansing, Michi- gan, in 1887. It will be seen that there appears to be a difference betwcen samples of the same variety coming from different sources. The Black pea from North Carolina seed matured well, but that from Louisiana stock was too late. The same difference occurred in the Clay. This is what might have been expected, and it emphasizes the importance of securing seed from the northernmost station, when choosing stock for growing in the north. On the whole, the Black cow pea seems best adapted to growing in Central New York. A small patch of this was sown on a rich, loose soil July 17, and the plants made as heavy growth as those sown upon the clay soil nearly a month earlier. But the cow pea affords so much less winter protec- tion to the soil than the vetch, without any counterbalancing advant- ages, that it can scarcely be recommnnded for an orchard cover in the north. The ordinary field pea was also grown this year as a winter cover. One lot was sown August 18. Although the tips of the plants were somewhat shriveled by frost, the plot was still green and growing the 336 AGRICULTURAL Exprrment Station, IrHaca, N. Y. middle of November, but no flowers had appeared. The vines were two to three feet long and they covered the ground completely, and made an excellent mulch. Peas sown September 20 reached a height of about six inches and were not large enough to afford a satisfactory cover ; yet, if sown very thick, peas could be put in at this time with fair Pact 3 in cases where the ground could not be used earlier, Aside from these covers, various kinds of clovers were sown in mid- season for purposes of comparison, but they made a poor stand and afforded very little protection to the soil. Rye sown late in August or early September made a fair cover, but it is no better than common field peas, if as good, and its fertilizing value is small. The following analyses show the fertilizer values of the various plants here discussed. The vetches and peas were analyzed at this Station. The analysis of cow peas is taken from Professor Teller’s recent studies in Arkansas,* and that of clover is compiled trom reli- able sources for comparison. Original substance. Dry substance. Vetch, ready to bloom, roots and tops. MIGLOLEN eae yaaa ecu 200 “per Cent. 3.10 per cent. Phosphoric acid........ SAG Ber OO! iy EO UAS EN et aie ae aya Med 475 a 2.28 ip AV ALOE a RR eels ts : 79.15 A Peas, 2 to 3 ft. high, no flowers, roots and tops. Nitrogen......... cA aay Ae tlh ie erie eo Phosphoric acid....... Se 1B: Cette: 7eG) 2 on ocashs. Ulbchee.c evi ts .361 a 1.86 5 “FCA Bo Mn SO eg 80.61 ‘ Peas, 6 in. high, roots and tops. INTET OMEN acinleie st. ctee tare 34 ye 2.43 - Phosphoric acid....... POSE a5 JOR” t Gee EPOTASU Sr hot e a «i ret ola, p ate + .179 “ 1.28 rs EVMEELOIL Cos tecsue as en acn etehee 86.05 3 Cow Peas ( Whipporwill), in blossom, straw only. PNABT ORO. pe hae Jciste. 5 Vie pains mamta aMens waa 5.09 ine ee EOS PHOTIGIACIL 2.5) .'a'otw Sate nig eee aie ove iatala eve Sb oa SRST Fakejls!= 's\o\lenclen. 3 sind Shel anette jaro "ese 'asavloewa nae A os oa’) alate on ae ree L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one 74803 0) 1 el ee PD ed 7! a G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, LB. Roberts, director,-one month js) iio). y H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botany, one PIV Gay Fe es ce Na ican he oot Rah Arig SPAS praca Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one PENTA Ly! ese Neb aN tad bh Rae Ck EU al MUUGHELEENLYS sj ne hate asx b Bale) s Seaver ato eaciilhaeh eRe ah L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one PULOWILID SF ete eveke. HORM, waaartestats los el taterasial eis G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, I. P. Roberts, director, one month ............ H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one PIO a eo Mae sila’ dc nishern aredal oe ave, ota ehenebene Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one OTC aia Meaty Oa. ea aaarsere Was BIL GHLPEL : esas Oras epee ates asian Scan L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one 1011715 RES OER RE OK MG 2) EMR MS I. P. Roberts, director, one month.... ....... H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month ....., L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month....... : 125 166 166 83 83 83 62 66 125 166 166 352 AcrRicuLTUuRAL Experiment Station, Iraaca, N. Y. 1893. Jan. 31. Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one month: Ay Mise? 2 Bare Hale iatolals por arate a, v se ae Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one Mons in Mee a AE A. oe ae M. V. Slingerland, assistant entomologist, one month) Pe Ga... s Babies. ae awed L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one THOME Lethaee .. 3. SEN ets: SNe eae ee G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, Feb. 28. I. P. Roberts, director, one month ............ H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one ‘ WRUOTUE | 5! 12 aos eA Soe ees kere ee che tac a ee Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one WONT Gs FT Y TOs, dee Reena, Seren M. V. Slingerland, assistant entomologist, one month. S30, aie Witmer eT Sah "ate a Bale, SRO L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one month, G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, / March 9. L. C. Corbett, assistant horticulturist, one-third TOT A Ag sash ci kee tees Be SMTA coke Some 31. I. P. Roberts, director, one month............ H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one month 3502 Wh, ee EVER Aen Panes nee Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one PAO GIN oe 01.0004 coh bv. akch erento. ptmleen, i. ck kee M. V. Slingerland, assistant entomologist, one TOUGH fo os | Fore igen ts estry ok nnn or lol iedeperale Mean Geo. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one TONED MRA... «ce das Ade aie ean Dieta April 30. I. P. Roberts, director, one month............ H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ ‘Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one INOUE pb. te ETT anes eeu ore tanita Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one NOMEN i ace eh oes Bien ae ah co: SR ORS RE $83 83 83 62 66 125 166 * 166 83 83 83 62 66 20 125 - 166 166 83 83 83 66 125 166 166 83 83 50 33 Recrrets AND EXPENDITURES. 3538 1893. ‘ April 30. M. V. Slingerland, assistant entomologist, one month oh 25 2 re ISU ae ean Gece Te Dee $83 33 G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, 66 66 May 31. I. P. Roberts, director, one month............ 125 00 H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... 166 66 L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ 166 66 Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one DPONEN Aa pam erc sds seanelee es Wow a deen 83 33 Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one MO WGHE Ree haha «cette eter erat anne ade Sik beats a eh 83 33 M. V. Slingerland, assistant entomologist, one 001 gee MRE URL SPROUL Dy 615 208 83 33 Geo. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one MOTH} a VEE ate eens a aale cater S ordhale Mrelatrete old. 6 66 66 June 30. I. P. Roberts, director, one month... ......... 125 00 H. H. Wing, deputy director, one month...... 166 74 L. H. Bailey, horticulturist, one month........ 166 74 Geo. F. Atkinson, cryptogamic botanist, one lomth sch hive, caer ea Me tate a oie) 83 37 Geo. C. Watson, assistant agriculturist, one PNG PE reeset keene ds toatl ee Ray es rane 83 37 M. V. Slingerland, ‘assistant entomologist, one EOMBUIE os Ba, ators a ds SAD dent 2 Bini Sete cole nea es 83 37 G. W. Cavanaugh, assistant chemist, one month, 66 74 MOURN LOT CRMIATION S52 is iats-uia's 65th) aa Moigielaee wind craw «| dae $9,570 84 For Buildings. 1892. July 12. A. A. Terrill, repairs. on barn. .........4....5 17 64 AP ptal aw BUR CIR yy cate) hese eS cine ates «6 > ete bes $17 64 For Printing. 1892. July 6. Adams Express Co., expressage.............. 50 A 12. W. F. Humphrey, 9,000 copies Bulletin No. 38, $333 00 Ba) Geo. Aes ICM OP AWIADS ite a dei. «ss oe me's sheiwie 12 00 11. Rural Pub. Co., engravings..... M,N ah eae 25 50 TSS E aN, 5 Excpe Crs MMe ty, scarey .) ). takes heme 1 50° 20. Baker & Adamson, one carboy sul. acid ....... 44 18. Kellogos d& sMaller; feed): eter ..i/. ah. Suede s ater 54 00 93). Cog N: RR. RR, freighty..).7).ishraeih Fe sia) 2B 4 80 Reb.) (800. & UR. Ry, freighiey. § ty meas jetted. oe picts ae hi 66 Jan. 26. Pottstown Iron Co., odorless phosphate ....... 1 50 11. W. L./ Mitchell, service;boar . if o).). 6 sac. deen 9 00 Feb. 10: Emil Greiner, milk pipettes...........20.h.0% 1 23 13. U.S. Hxpress (Cos expressage 5). if.U/ cha. 1 60 14. Bowker Fertilizer Co., meat scrap ............ 34 00 91. J. M. Thorburn & Co., tobacco seed .......... 90 18, P) i Rit. yy freight af. Roe ea 1 18) Da ChigoeN., Rivk., fremht Yenc a Nien ee 4 70 24, Chas. H. Dodge, milk strainer ............... 50 23. Schuyler Grant, one cylinder of gas .......... 4 00 98... sda NW be. | Ee. EPeROHE 2. ed are Uetiata ane 61 March 1. Otto Benecke, fertilizer ................00.00. 3 80 16. Emil Greiner, Babcock test bottles............ 7 65 27. W. Atlee Burpee & Co., tobacco seed......... 44 AGRICULTURAL ExpERIMENT Station, IrHaca, N. Y. neg oe =. -s— 1893. April vol: Di M. erry & Coy, rapeseed.) ee. $0 30 | March’ $0: ‘Treman, King’ & Co.,‘oilean.. os 30 April 20. J. M. Thorburn & Co., crimsom clover seed... 50 D9 Wk Be eaTsOR, labOrtie teva s MAMIE s Wg eS 19 40 EOP Bo Fi? Fos, erel@g ys okidie ss | Lee itn ee 61 21. Treman, King & Co., sundry hardware....... 95 14. Moro Phillips Chemical Co., sul. of am ....... 10 15 May 15. United States Express Co., expressage........ 50 June 7. United States Express Co. expressage........ 45 8. Peter Henderson & Co., cow pea seed......... 73 972A, (He yWwane, tobacco plants cuits... wee 1 00 be eran zer, Teed Jie eos cs eaters aly so culate 5 16 Potal for) agricultural’ division)... 7). sii. disci tpe ey os). « $496 45 For Horticultural Division. 1892. July 8, E. and H. T. Anthony & Co., photographic BIAIO Me ais Sch 1G iat hd nictien te: siatePahati a stealer we aay does $1 85 Sieh 0G) ‘Cleaves: blue: print; paper .)./'<2 2.64 //. «cls's 8 32 Si) Fudsoir ao: COs Stakes: wis