The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-09

badly infected. Now. ii there were MI
grafton from the plums, why did not the
nearest hops receive the unwelcome guests
These plants were the same size and age
and variety as those further away. Mr..
Smeed says, and he IS very careful OBJ
server, that he has never seen the insect on
the prunes and plunls, though he Is
amongst these trees almost daily.
WHAT Is TO BE DOME?
In England spraying the hop plants with
a mixture of strong soapsuds and tobacco
water in summer is resorted to. Another
season, in extreme cases ii may be well to
adopt that measure here. But what Is bet
ter, let every hop-grower make an entomoio-
gist of himself during the coming winter,
and examine his hopyard and its sur
roundings most carefully for the eggs OF
the insects. These once found, it will not
be q difficult matter, and far less trouble
than summer spraying, to kill the same by
some strong caustic wash, or similar
means. Let no man interested leave
stone unturned to solve, what appears to
be, in this state, an unsolved riddle. Call
upon professional entomologist and upon
each other for assistance and cooperation,
and before next spring be able to take IN
teiigent action.
IDEyTIFIcATIoN OF THE PEST, ITS WORK, ETC.
The insect is about one-twenty-fif of
an inch long, and its characteristics too
small to be seen with the naked eye. With
good lens it is found that they are yell
lowish green. with somewhat elongated
body while the ample louise. Aphts mali has
a dumpy body. Each of the long autenna.
or horns, projecting from the front of the
head. has prominent bullying joint at its
base, and between these two horns,
autenn@ or ''feelers," projecting from the
head and pointing forward are two short
prominences. These two prominences or
hafU he oh
acteristic, and not seen upon the green
louise of the apple. Further, in Phorodon
the honey tubes 1.-TWO horns growing from
the posterior part of the back and pointing
upward and backward) in most specimens,
but not in all, are seen to incline toward
each other somewhat.
Lastly, the biblical adage, "By their
works shall We know Them" is peculiarly
exemplified here. As one stands at or
near the end of row of hops and looks
down the line, a plant which looks dark
and blighted, or that has an unnatural
simmer or shine on its leaves, merits q
closer examination, for the simmer is
caused by the oxidation of "honey dew"
caused by the attack of hundreds of hop
lice, and on the under side of these leaves
are found hosts of little green lice suck ing
away the life blood of the plant.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
One female louise will produce an average
OF three young a day during the summer.
These young at this season are all females,
and they, in their turn, begin to reproduce.
parthenogeneticallv during the summer
when they are about eight days old, and
their young do the same. There are sew
eral such generations during the summer,
so that the progeny from one female dur
ing the season will reach the trillions and
will work tremendous havoc in the hop
field.
Mr.. Hubbard says: "You are always
more apt TO find the lice in hop fields which
are shut in by woods, where the bright sun
and purifying breeze are not allowed suf-
fcient play. Clear away the surrounding
wood, let the sun and breeze in, keep the
yard clean, and the lice will grow wonder
fully less
The hop house does not readily migrate
from one yard to another.
The early English variety, Mr.. Smeed
says, he finds exempt from their attacks,
but of course the market for that early va
rieiy is limited.
Mr.. s. used row of willows last season
for wind-break. Where there were gaps
in the willows he placed hop poles close to-
gether, to make the wind-break complete.
He subsequently found that the hops next
the willows became badly infested, while
those next the poles were untouched. He
therefore intends this winter to examine
neighboring willows carefully for the eggs.
In pruning hop vines this season. after the
crop is gathered, it would be well to cut
the vines as close to the ground as can be
done with safety, thus insuring the killing
of more of the lice. A very close observer
of insects suggests the use of smudges in
the yard on still summer nights. Sawdust
and straw, impregnated with a mixture of