206 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



the notes, but they have not yet been pubHshed, and probably 

 never will be. 



Now, as you know, last winter was one of the most severe 

 for many years in Connecticut. It is, therefore, interesting 

 to notice the effect of that cold weather on insect life. One of 

 the most important things is the fact that the San Jose scale 

 insect was killed out to a large extent. Not entirely, but in 

 many parts of the state a large proportion was killed outright. 

 In examining specimens where we were carrying on spraying 

 experiments we found that the cold weather had killed as high 

 as fifty per cent, of them at the end of the winter. In some 

 places seventy-five to eighty per cent, were killed. We can 

 attribute this to nothing except the severe winter, because there 

 was no evidence of other causes for their death. A great 

 many trees, as you know, were killed outright by the winter, 

 and, of course, when the tree dies the scale is also killed. 



Other insects suffered in the same way. Butterflies were 

 not abundant during the season, and certain earwigs and other 

 insects, which were common the year before, were very hard 

 to find this season, and that is to be accounted for by the large 

 number which were probably destroyed from that cause. Prof. 

 Verrill of Yale has asserted that certain species of earwigs, 

 which were quite abundant heretofore, have been very difficult 

 to find. He hunted over some lands where they had been 

 common for specimens, and could not find one. 



I tried to study tobacco insects, or those insects which at- 

 tacked the growing crop. Of course, the worms were abun- 

 dant both seasons, and especially the last season, but the insect 

 which attacks the plant later, the green worm and the flying 

 beetles, and the sucking bugs, were so scarce that I had hard 

 work to find any who were in the tobacco fields, so that I really 

 did not get along very fast in studying the tobacco industry 

 from that standpoint. 



On the other hand, aphis has been extremely rare. A 

 year ago this was very common, — exceedingly abundant. 



