REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



To the Hon. A. W. Gilnian, Commissioner of Agriculture. 



I have the honor of submitting my third annual report on the 

 injurious insects of the State for the year 1907. 



The year of 1906 passed into history as a season of unusual 

 insect activity. During the past few years there has been 

 noticed a gradual increase in numbers of our more common 

 insect pests; this fact was very noticeable during the summer 

 of 1906 and was commented on by many of our orchardists and 

 farmers in general. It was thought by some that the climax 

 had been reached and that our insect enemies, the parasites and 

 fungus diseases, would check their increase and there would 

 be a marked decrease in numbers during the following season. 

 But this was not the case as the season just passed will demon- 

 strate. Without doubt the season of 1907 has been a record 

 breaker in the abundance of many of our common insects. 



The increase over last year was very noticeable in the case of 

 the mourning cloak, cherry-tree ugly-nest, red-humped, yel- 

 low-necked, and fall web-worm, among the caterpillars. Grass- 

 hoppers were so abundant that many young apple trees were 

 stripped of their leaves and beans and even corn suffered greatly 

 from their attack. 



We are still free as far as has been ascertained from any 

 invasion of the San Jose scale or elm-leaf beetle. 



The men in the field were instructed to keep a close watch 

 while in the orchards for any appearance of the San Jose scale 

 and all nurseries and many orchards have been thoroughly 

 examined for this pest. We are very fortunate thus far in 

 being free from its attack. Many inquiries have been made 

 regarding it and interested parties are constantly on the watch 

 for its appearance so that it will probably be recognized before 



