REPORT OF STATE HORTICULTURIST. 65 



tations have occurred in Androscoggin, southern Oxford, Saga- 

 dahoc, eastern Kennebec and southern Frankhn counties. In 

 and about Auburn particularly the damage has been great and 

 some of the elms have been completely defoliated because of 

 them. 



The skeletonized brown appearance of the foliage of an 

 infested tree in summer is very striking. The parent beetle is 

 about one- fourth of an inch long and the color varies more or 

 less during the life stages, being greenish yellow at the time of 

 emerging from winter quarters and deepening into a reddish 

 yellow as they grow older. The eggs are deposited in irregiv 

 lar rows of from five to 25 on the under side of the 

 leaves. When hatched the grub is about one-twentieth of an 

 inch long, with a dark yellowish skin, the yellow color becoming 

 more prominent as they molt. The full grown larva is about 

 one-half an inch long. The winter is passed by the beetle in 

 attics, sheds and other sheltered places. With the warm weather 

 in spring, they emerge from their retreats and early in May 

 the beetles fly to the trees and eat irregular holes in the foliage. 

 Egg laying continues for four or five weeks, during which time 

 the beetles consume a large amount of foliage and may deposit 

 as high as 600 eggs. The grubs emerge about the middle of 

 June and feed on the under surfaces of the leaves, which they 

 skeletonize in a short time. The growth is completed in about 

 two to three weeks, after which the grubs descend and seek a 

 place in which to pupate. If the leaves are thoroughly sprayed 

 with an arsenical poison early in the spring, when the beetles 

 begin to feqd, many of them will be poisoned and without 

 doubt this is the best method of control. The local spread of 

 the beetles is slow and remedial measures should be practiced 

 as soon as their work is observed. Thus far the parasites have 

 not been very efficient in checking their depredations. 



Borers. 



Borers of various kinds infesting shade trees have been dis- 

 covered and sent into the office from time to time, but their 

 work has not been more pronounced than in previous seasoni>. 



