No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 177 



Transform into beetles. The mature beetles come forth in the fall, 

 climbs trees again, and feeds for a short time, and then scatters to 

 jtlaces of safety to sj)end the winter, chiefly in rubbish, and such 

 other places where it can find protection. 



The fuudamenlal or best general remedy, is plainly in the destruc- 

 tion of the fire cherry trees, but the best local remedy consists in 

 spraying with one ounce of arsenate of lead in each gallon of water, 

 whenever the beetles or their larvae are destructive. As the fire 

 cherry tree is of no economic value, there would be no loss in its 

 destruction to get rid of this new pest, which has already efl'ected 

 considerable damage to the fruit interests in the northern and cen- 

 tral portions of Pennsylvania." 



(5) PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES 



It is necessary to preserve in a photographic form much of the 

 important and interesting material coming to this office. As w^e are 

 called upon to write for publications or to speak before the public, 

 it can be used for illustrations either in Bulletins or as slides. We 

 are gradually accumulating one of the very best collections of im- 

 portant photographs of pests and their work, and horticultural 

 subjects. Mr. H. B. Kirk has taken a special interest in assisting 

 in this work. The plates and photographs are numbered and filed 

 in systematic order, and under my directions many slides have been 

 made for illustrating lectures. We appreciate the co-operation of 

 other officials in the Capitol Building in providing room and equip- 

 ment for this important photographic service. 



(6) PUBLICATIONS 



The publications of the office of the Bureau of Zoology have been 

 in the form of the Bi-Monthly Bulletins of the Bureau of Zoology 

 of the Department of Agriculture, and the Weekly Press Letter and 

 occasional articles to newspapers and other preiodicals. In the Bi- 

 Monthly bulletins w^ere published the chief articles for the public, 

 discussing various subjects in horticulture, pest suppression, bird 

 ytreservation. tree planting, better fruit production, fumigation and 

 others of general and practical interest. 



Eequests have been received for these bulletins from different 

 states in the Union and different countries, showing that they have 

 been appreciated. -We have made it a rule to publish nothing that 

 was not correct and practical. Our bulletins on the agricultural 

 value and the preservation of birds have been especially helpful to 

 teachers in high schools and to high school pupils in the construc- 

 tion of bird boxes, and have set forth various devices and sugges- 

 tions for feeding and protecting the birds. 



The Weekly Press Letter was issued regularly with a view toward 

 publishing timely information, cliiefly in regard to orcharding and 

 pest suppression. At the close of the year it was discontinued be- 

 cause these subjects were embodied in the Weekly Piess Bull<^t1n of 

 Ihe Department. Some of them were republished in more perma- 

 nent form in the Bi-Monthly bulletins to meet requests from our 

 citizens who desired these short articles in such manner that they 

 ran be preserved. 



Occasionally a correspondent or an orchard inspector reports an 

 outbreak of insect pests, or some other special topic upon which the 

 12—6—1915 



