difficult to distinguish without a magnifying glass. The general appearance which they present is of a grayish, very slightly roughened scurfy deposit. (Fig. 11.) The natural rich. reddish color of the limbs of the peach and apple is quite obscured when these trees

are thickly infested, and they have then every appearance of being coated with lime or ashes. When the scales are crushed by scraping, a yellowish oily liquid will appear, resulting from the crushing of the soft yellow insects beneath the scales, and this will at once indicate to one who is not familiar with their appearance the existence of healthy living scales on the trees."

The young scale lice hatch from eggs beneath the female scales, in spring, soon after the unfolding of the leaves. They are minute yellowish creatures, resembling Fig. 12 when highly magnified; they crawl about over the bark a short time, and finally fasten themselves to it, generally on the new growth, where they secrete a scale and there develop. Some of them mature into little two-winged creatures, resembling, when magnified, Fig. 14; these are the males: others develop into females, which do not become winged but remain on the bark in a fixed position. In the bodies of these the young are produced, as shown in Fig. 13.

FIG. II. San José Scale: Apple Branch, with scales in situ-natural size; enlarged scales above, at left.

When the San José scale occurs upon older trees, it is most likely to be found on the twigs and smaller limbs, but upon young trees it may occur over the whole surface. But it does not confine its attacks to the bark, for the leaves and fruit are often infested upon the latter there is a very characteristic purplish ring around each scale. These rings are well illustrated in Fig. 10. 'Upon the leaves the insects have a tendency

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to collect along the midrib, on the upper side of the leaf, in one or more quite regular rows, and also to some extent along the side ribs. The infested leaves turn brown, but do not have a tendency to fall as a result of the damage."

b

α

Fig. 12. San José Scale: a, young larva-greatly enlarged; b, antenna of same-still more enlarged.

This pest is most likely to be introduced into new localities upon nursery stock imported from infested regions. This is believed to be the way in which it was first brought to the Eastern states. It is also likely to be carried upon fruit sent to market. In a given locality the insects are most likely to be carried from tree to tree and orchard to orchard by the young lice crawling upon insects and birds and then crawling off after they have lit upon other trees. They may also be blown about by the wind.

The young lice are easily destroyed by spraying with kerosene emulsion. But in cases where the insect is first introduced to a new locality, the infested trees should be burned to check the outbreak.

PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF THE SCALE.

Concerning this Mr. L. O. Howard, entomologist to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, says: "The principal mode of spread is by commerce in nursery stock, cuttings, and fruit. The time will come in the immediate future when some kind of quarantine regulations will have to be established by states, or by large fruit-growing districts. Should this species already

d

FIG. 13. San José Scale: c, adult female containing young-greatly enlarged; d, anal fringe of same-still more enlarged.

have obtained the firm foothold in the East which we suspect, New York, Michigan, and other states, in which the pomological interests are great, should immediately, by act of legislature, establish quarantine regulations similar to those in force at the present time in the state of California. In the meantime no orchardist should admit a single young fruit tree, or a single cutting, or a single bud, from a distance into his orchard, without first carefully examining it, and satisfying himself absolutely that

it does not carry a single specimen of the San José scale. If this plan is adopted by every one interested, and without exception, the rate of spread of the species can be limited to the natural spread by crawling, by winds, and by the aid of other insects and birds.

FIG. 14. San José Scale: male adult-greatly enlarged.

"We wish particularly to impress upon the minds of fruitgrowers that as soon as this insect is found to occur in an orchard the most strenuous measures must be taken to stamp it out. No halfway measures will suffice. The individual must remember that not only are his own interests vitally at stake, but those of the entire community in which he resides. Trees badly infested should be instantly burned, as previously stated. The individual may think that he cannot bear the loss, but the loss in consequence of the slightest neglect will be much greater. The fact, too, that there is a community of interests among fruitgrowers in this matter must not be lost sight of. Fruit-growers must be mutually helpful in an emergency like this.”

The Gypsy Moth.
Ocneria dispar.

Fortunately this notorious insect, which our Massachusetts neighbors are striving hard to subdue, has not yet been found in New Hampshire. It is sincerely to be hoped that it may never be found here; but as we are so near the infested territory it seems worth while to include in this connection a brief notice of the pest.

The Gypsy moth is one of the most troublesome insects in

Europe. It feeds on an extraordinary variety of plants, attacking almost everything, and is difficult to destroy by natural or artificial means. As is well known it was introduced into the vicinity of Boston twenty-five years ago, and FIG. 15. Gypsy Moth. has since become very destructive in that region. In 1891 the legislature of Massachusetts established a commission for the extermination of the insect, and has since appropriated a large amount of money to carry on the work, which has already checked the outbreak to a remarkable degree. It is much to be hoped that the work will be continued unabated for several years.

Male.

There is an idea somewhat prevalent that this insect could be exterminated by

importing parasites, but this is fallacious. In my opinion it would be a great mistake to abandon the work of extermination and leave it to be done by para

sites. Under the

most favorable conditions there could only result a long series