Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1912-10-03

Food Plants
Pear and apple are the more
common food plants OF the blister
mite, though other plants are at
tackled.
According to PARROT the mites
have been found on over $50 vari-
cites of apples, injury being Sc
we're on some well-known COM
mercial sorts, as Ben Davis, King,
Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening,
and at an agricultural experiment
station, the Williams Favorite was
noted to be especially subject to
attack, the trees have been pre-
maturely defoliated for t'So sue
cessive seasons.
Description and Habits
The mite is microscopic in size,
measuring on average about one
Observation-Disclosures of an
inch in length, whitish in color, a
few individuals pinkish. The abdo-
men slopes gradually to the pos
terror end and is numerously
ringed. There are only two pairs
OF legs, and these and the body
bear setae, which from their char
acter and location are OF import
ance in the determination of spec
les in this group, as are also the
number and character of rings on
the abdomen. The young, except
in size, bear a general likeness to
the adults, and the eggs, though
proportionately large as COM
pared in size with the parent, are
only 46 microns through the great
translucent, with rounded ends,
and are deposited in the interior of
the gals. The resulting larvae
feed upon the cellular leaf sub
stance, working out in various di-
rections, though they are not es-
pecially active.
The mites are to be found on the
foliage from their appearance in
spring until fall, and several
generations are evidently pro-
duced in a season. Hibernation
occurs under the bud scales, the
mites often congregating in colon
les of so or more. They become
active in the spring often before
the buds burst, congregating
around the base of bud scales,
where they feed, many melting at
this time. With the bursting of the
buds and the pushing out of the
tender leaves, these are attacked
and the characteristic blisterlike
spots soon develop.
Notwithstanding the minute size
of these creatures, they fall prey
in considerable numbers, as OBJ
served by Prof. Parrott in New
(Seius pomi Parrott) which he
York State, to the attack of a mite
thinks materially assists in reduc-
ing their numbers.
Methods OF Control
The leaf blister mite will yield
to thorough treatment with kero-
sene emulsion, miscible oils, or
lime-sulphur washes. The use of
these sprays, as for the San Jose
scale, should also protect Or
chards from important injury
from the mites. When it is neces-
sary to spray for the mites alone,
and in cases of severe infestation,
as has been noted in many
apple orchards, two treatments
have been recommended by Par
rott, using standard kerosene
emulsion diluted with 5 parts of
water. One application should be
given in late fall as soon as most
of the leaves have fallen and
another the following spring be-
fore the trees put out foliage. If
both the fall and spring applica-
tions are not practicable, the pref
erence should be given to fall
treatment. At this time many of
the mites have not yet gone to the
bud scales, but occur in the pub
escence of the young wood and
hence more easily killed.
Lime-sulphur washes are excel
lent treatments for these mites
and their employment is perhaps
preferable as avoiding danger Of
injury to fruit buds by the oil
sprays. If lime-sulphur wash is
employed, it should be applied
with great thoroughness, COM
pletely coating the tree so that
when spraying is finished the tree
will appear as il whitewashed
The homemade wash, according to
the old formula, lime 20 pounds
sulphur Is pounds, and water to
make so gallons, will be quite
effective; or the homemade
commercial concentrate may bt
uapd The formar NAV 10 m, a 6a a n.