170 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Last 3-car I let the water off m}' vines about the first of June, 

 and the ■' lire " appeared about the eighteenth or twentieth of the 

 month, but did not do much damage. About tlie twentietli of July 

 the worms appeared in full force and destroj-ed my crop of beriies. 

 I have seen but one species of the worm, but it varies in appearance 

 somewhat at different stages of growth. They are first found in 

 the opening bud, and it is thought b}- many that the eggs are 

 alwa3"s deposited at the points where the buds are to appear, and 

 that when the buds begin to grow the eggs are enclosed in them 

 and there remain until hatched. 



Probably the best time for investigation will be when the second 

 brood shall come, sometime in July. 



Yours truly, 



C. Briggs. 



North Rochester, July 23, 1883. 

 W. A. Stearns. Esq. 



Dear Sir, — On the fourteenth inst. I sent 3'ou by express a box 

 containing vine worms, with some of the moths. I trust it reached 

 you safely. Last Saturday* my vines were examined and seemed to 

 be entire)}' free from the vine worms. It is time for the second 

 crop to appear, except where the water was kept on late. I ap- 

 plied paris green on the first crop of worms faithfull}', and perhaps 

 the second "crop ma}' not appear in much force. 



Yours truly, 



C. Briggs. 



North Rochester, July 30, 1883. 

 W. A. Stearns, Esq. 



My Dear Sir. — Yours of the twenty-third received. A cran- 

 berrj- grower iu Berkley latel}' wrote to me that his vines were 

 being destroyed by worms, as thej' were last season. 



I think I have hit upon a plan that will aid us in our investiga- 

 tions. It is to enclose a small jjatch of vines with boards, covered 

 with netting, and confine under it a suitable number of larvte so 

 that the}' can have light and moisture without interfering with 

 their natural habits. Thus they can be easily examined from time 

 to time as they change from larvffi to chrysalids, and from chr3-sa- 

 lids to moths, which la}' their eggs upon vines within the enclosure. 

 This will enable us to observe the moths, and determine the posi- 

 tion and appearance of the eggs. I have the netting so arranged 

 that it can, in a moment, be removed and glass substituted, so as 

 to facilitate observation. The difficult}- just now is to find larvae 

 enough for the experiment. Onl3' seven could be found this morn- 

 ina: after a careful examination of about three hours. 



