DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 33 



(g) PREPARATION OF CIRCULARS OF INFORMATION. 



These cireukir.s which hav^e been of the greatest assistance in tlie cor- 

 respondence of the olfice have in a number of cases been reprinted, 

 the editions having been exhausted, and three additional numbers 

 have been published during the year. 



{h) CORRESPONDENCE. 



The correspondence of the office continues to grow slowly, about 

 7,000 letters being written in answer to inquiries regarding injurious 

 insects, and many others answered by printed or mimeographed cir- 

 culars. 



(/) EXHIBIT OF INSECTS FOR THE PARIS EXPOSITION. 



This work, referred to in the last report, was completed in due time, 

 and the collection shipped to Paris, where it received a "■ Grand Prix," 

 while a silver medal was given to the apicultural expert of the office 

 for collaboration in the collection of material illustrating the bee- 

 keeping industry of the Tnited States. It is to be regretted that the 

 office was unable to send to Paris in connection with this exhibit a 

 good collection of insecticide machinerj^ Every effort was made to 

 secure such a collection from our leading manufacturers, but with- 

 ouf, success. For one ]-ea.son or another they were unable or unwilling 

 to send competent exhibits. The lack of such an exhibit was particu- 

 larly unfortunate, since the American insecticide machinery has a 

 high reputation abroad, and a number of persons visited the exi^osi- 

 tion largely to see American machinery of this class. 



(./■) WORK IN APICULTURE. 



During the year observations on the comparative value of the honej''- 

 gathering qualities possessed by Cypi-ian, Italian, and Carniolan bees 

 and various first crosses between these varieties have been instituted, 

 and further comparative tests of methods emploj-ed in the rearing of 

 queen bees have been made. At the request of the directors of farm- 

 ers' institutes in the State of New York, the apiarian expert of the 

 Division was detailed in December and January to attend seven insti- 

 tutes held in the central and western parts of the State, at each of 

 which he made one or more addresses on apiarian topics, illustrating 

 them with lantern slides or blackboard sketches. Advantage was 

 taken of his presence in the State to make an investigation as to the 

 extent and general nature of a new and destructive bee disease prev- 

 alent in several of the eastern counties, wherein fully 50 per cent of 

 all the colonies formerly kept, including in many instances whole 

 apiaries, had been totally destroyed. Much advice as to the treat- 

 ment of affected colonies was given at the time, and later the expert 

 was enabled to cooporate with and aid the New York State depart- 

 ment of agriculture in the preparation of a bulletin treating of the 

 disease, now known as " black brood," and giving methods for its cure. 

 AGR 1900 :] 



