New Youk A'JiticuLTuitAL Exi'kuiment Station. 205 



DestruGtivencss in the orchards.— Two of tlie questions asked in 

 the circular letters related to the food plants of the caterpillars 

 and the extent of their injury in the orchards. Similar ques- 

 tions were asked last year and the majority of the replies were 

 to the effect that the cater])illars fed principally upon maple, 

 basswood and elm. This year, while they have been very 

 destructive to forest trees, there were more reports of their 

 depredations in orchards than formerly. During the season we 

 have also received more letters, usually accompanied by speci- 

 mens, from fruit growers complaining of this insect. In the 

 vicinity of Geneva they have been noticeably more numerous 

 in the orchards this year than last. 



There seems to be little preference as to the variety of fruit. 

 Apple, pear, peach and plum have been attacked apparently with 

 equal readiness. 



Taking the State as a whole the reports indicate that the cater- 

 pillars were usually less destructive to shade and forest trees, 

 but somewhat more destructive to orchard trees. 



New localities reported. — The localities not recorded in our Bul- 

 letin 159 of last year, but from which reports have been received 

 this year are as follows: Niagara County, Middleport; Monroe 

 County, Spencerport; Allegany County, Andover; Oswego 

 County, Pulaski; Madison County, Oneida, Erieville, West Eaton, 

 De Ruyter and Webster; Otsego County, Westford; Oneida 

 County, Maynard; St. Lawrence County, De Kalb; Franklin 

 County, Fay; Saratoga County, King's Station; Greene County, 

 Coxsackie, West Coxsackie and Cornwallville; Dutchess County, 

 Millbrook; Orange County, Montgomery and Blooming Grove; 

 Westchester County, Bedford Station and Unionville. 



Orchards easily infested. — Orchards situated near woodlands 

 are especially in danger of becoming infested because both cater- 

 pillars and moths from the groves can easily reach them. A 

 number of cases of this kind have come under the writer's 

 observation. The trees in the rows nearest the woodland were 

 so close that the caterpillars easily migrated to orchard trees 

 from near-by forest trees which they had stripped bare. In this 



