10 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



were not unusually abundant, though as the season advanced small 

 areas, especially beside orchards, were found to be infested with 

 considerable numbers. The use of grasshopper bait was advised 

 in a number of such places and in several instances rather serious 

 damage to young fru't trees was reported, due to ignoring the insects 

 earl'er and allowing them to develop unchecked. 



May or June beetles were unusually niunerous in many sections 

 of the State, defoliating or partly defoliating individual trees and, 

 in not a few instances, strips of woodland. This condition was 

 pointed out earlier and an effort made to interest the farmers in 

 noting these results for themselves, since the amount of feeding 

 affords a basis for est-'mating the probabilities of damage another 

 season to susceptible crops, such as com and potatoes planted upon 

 sod land near badly affected trees. In cooperation with the Insect 

 Pest Survey and Information Service it has been possible to make 

 what is practically a May or June beetle survey of the State and as 

 a result there has been brought together a mass of data which can be 

 used to great practical advantage in indicating areas where serious 

 injury by the destructive white grub is likely to occur next year. 

 The information has been summarized and it is planned to distribute 

 this early next spring so as to prevent, so far as possible, serious losses 

 by planting upon land badly infested by these destructive pests. 



The wheat midge was somewhat injurious to heading rye in various 

 parts of the State and later was found in many wheat fields. It 

 was estimated that the loss in southern Niagara and northern Erie 

 counties caused by this insect would approximate 20 per cent in 

 shrunken wheat. The actual loss in other wheat-growing counties 

 appears to be considerably less, that in Orleans county being placed 

 at 3 to 5 per cent. This damage, comparatively rare during recent 

 years in New York State, was largely due to unusual climatic con- 

 ditions at the time the grain was heading and there is little proba- 

 bility of its recurring another year. 



Field crops. The work of the seed corn maggot in bean fields 

 came to notice the last of June and was very serious, the loss on seed 

 alone in one 9-acre field in Genesee county amounting to $70, while 

 from 50 to 75 per cent of 16 acres were destroyed. One Monroe 

 county grower lost over $300 on seed alone. The damage for Erie 

 county was put at 40 per cent and it was estimated that one-quarter 

 of $56,000 worth of seed was destroyed in Orleans county. Untoward 

 weather conditions and deep planting on the wetter land appear to 

 have greatly augmented losses, while the total damage was increased 

 by the work of snails, millipeds and disease. 



