632 ANNUAL REPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The life history and general research study of the pink bollworm 

 which has been in progress for several years in the Laguna, Mexico^ 

 is reported in connection with the discussion of the pink bollworm on 

 pages 3, 4. The research work on the potato wart is discussed under 

 the heading " The potato wart," on pages 11, 12. 



The needs for information as a basis for quarantine regulations 

 have necessitated important surveys or exploration work in Mexico^ 

 having relation to the pink bollworm and other enemies of cotton, 

 to fruit-fly enemies of various Mexican fruits, and to stalk borers 

 and other insect enemies of broomcorn. A brief review of this 

 research and exploration work follows. 



Fruit fjies in Mexico. — To determine the present status in Mexica 

 of various fruit flies, Dr. William M. Mann, tropical insect expert 

 of the Bureau of Entomology, made for the board during April and 

 May a thorough field survey of fruit-fly conditions in Mexico, in- 

 cluding surveys of the western tier of States — Lower California. 

 Sonora, Sinaloa, Territory of Tepic— following with central and 

 southern Mexico as far south as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and 

 returning along the eastern coast, including the districts of Vera 

 Cruz, Tampico, and northward. At the season of the year during- 

 which the western tier of States was explored no evidence was found 

 of the presence of the Mediterranean, Mexican, or other fruit flies 

 as far south as Tepic. This may, however, have been due to the fact 

 that this portion of the survey was made in January and February. 

 In the next State to the south, Jalisco, Mexican fruit fly was found 

 in regions favorable to the insect, sparingly during March and April, 

 and again later in May. Throughout central Mexico, south of 

 Mexico City, and in eastern Mexico, fruit-fly infestation seemed to be 

 fairly general and often severe. On the east coast the fruit fly has. 

 been reported as far north as Monterey. Doctor Mann was accom- 

 panied over much of his trip by officials of the Mexican department 

 of agriculture and occasionally by fruit growers and others in inter- 

 est. The Mediterranean fruit fly was not determined as occurring in 

 any of the regions visited. No important pests were found attacking- 

 tomatoes, which are grown largely for export to the United States, 

 and useful data were obtained with respect to the general fruit and 

 vegetable productions of Mexico. 



In general the fruit-fly situation in Mexico does not seem to- 

 warrant any reconsideration at this time of the existing quarantine 

 restrictions as to certain Mexican fruits. To more fully determine 

 the fruit-fly status of the west coast of Mexico, Doctor Mann was 

 commissioned to make a second trip in October and November, and 

 this work is now in progress. 



Cotton insects. — H. C. Millender, of the board's technical stafl',, 

 accompanied Doctor Mann for a part of the time, covering the west 

 coast district and central Mexico, for the purpose of determining the 

 status of the pink bollworm, cotton boll weevil, and other cotton pests 

 along the west coast and elsewhere in Mexico other than in the- 

 known areas of infestation in the Laguna and other points in 

 northern Mexico. The presence of the boll weevil was determined 

 at Hermosillo (Sonora) ; Los Mochis, Culiacan, and Villa Union 

 (Sinaloa); Tuxpan and Tepic (Nayarit) ; and Cocula (Jalisco). 

 Study by experts failed to determine any of the material collected 

 as belonging to the related Thurberia weevil. 



