254 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [October, 



Mr. J. A. Lintner sent a paper on arsenical spraying of fruit trees 

 while in blossom, which was in the nature of a report from the 

 committee appointed to consider this subject two or more years 

 ago. Nothing new is added to our absolute knowledge of the 

 subject; but hasty legislation was deprecated, and a list of insects 

 was given for which spraying, while fruits were in blossom, might 

 be necessary. It was intimated that the matter might resolve 

 itself into a clash of interests as between bee-keepers and fruit- 

 growers, and it might be merely a question as to which interest 

 was the most important. Mr. H. Osborn described the methods 

 of combating insects which attack forage plants, some methods 

 of attacking parasites of domestic animals, and also gave a few 

 notes of the year as applied to Iowa. In the discussion ensuing 

 on the second of these papers the value of the kerosene emulsion 

 for the destruction of animal parasites was one of the subjects 

 considered, and there seemed to be a considerable reaction against 

 recommending it for use for this purpose. No question was made 

 as to its value or effectiveness; but it was considered unsafe or 

 inadvisable to recommend it to the general farmer who could not 

 be trusted to properly prepare and use the substance. Mr. J. B. 

 Smith read a paper on the use of fertilizers as a means of lessen- 

 ing insect injury to field crops, and also gave some notes of the 

 year in New Jersey. Considerable discussion ensued on the first 

 of these papers, and it seemed to be the opinion that, however 

 satisfactory the method might be in the Eastern States where 

 fertilizers were a necessity, it would be impossible to secure their 

 use by the farmers of Western States, where the soil required no 

 addition to its natural fertility. Mr. F. M. Webster read a paper 

 on the insect foes to American grain, and also gave notes on the 

 insects of the year in Ohio. In the discussion on Uie first of 

 these papers considerable was said on the geographic distribution 

 of some of the insects mentioned, and it developed also that in 

 the study of some of the species there are abundant opportunities 

 for co-operation among the workers in a number of States. Mr. 

 H. M. Weed read a paper on remedies for insects injurious to 

 cotton, in which he described the practice at present in use in 

 Mississippi, showing the tendency among farmers to resort to the 

 very simplest and most primitive possible methods. A paper 

 was sent by Mr. R. Allan Wight, of Auckland, New Zealand, 

 on leery a piirc hasi and Vedalia cardinalis in New Zealand. Mr. 



