352 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



the cottony maple scale, which became so numerous as to be destructive to 

 many soft maple shade trees in a number of cities and farming communities; 

 etc. It is stated that upon a farm where the i)oisoned bait spray for the 

 onion maggot was tested, a perfect stand of onions was secured, while an 

 untreated checlc plat 40 ft. distant and separated by two rows of trees and cur- 

 rant bushes was destroyed by the onion maggot to the extent of 75 per cent. A 

 chart illustrating the development and vulnerable points of attacli of the May 

 beetle is included. 



Potato insects, II. L. Websteh (Iowa Sta. Bui. 155 {1915), pp. 359-Jf20, figs. 

 43). — Brief accounts with records of observations are given of the important 

 insect enemies of potatoes in Iowa. The pests considered are the Colorado 

 potato beetle, the potato flea-beetle {Epitrix cucumcri.^), the striped blister 

 beetle, the gray blister beetle, the black blister beetle, the tobacco worm, the 

 tomato worm, the cabbage looper, the variegated cutworm, the cotton cutworm 

 (Prodcnia ornithogaJli), the apple leafhopper, the potato aphid {Macrosiphum 

 solanifolii) , the du.sl<y leaf bug (Adclphocoris rapidus), the tarnished plant 

 bug, the potato stalk borer, and white grubs. 



A bibliography of literature relating to the subject is included. 



[Work with cranberry insects in 1914], H. J. Franklin ( Massachusetts 

 8ta. Bui. 160 (/.9/.I)., /)/). 103-117; Ann. Rpt. Cape Cod Cranberry Growers^ 

 Assoc., 27 (191 Jf), pp. 12-27). — In reporting upon the occurrence during the 

 year of insect enemies of cranberries, in continuation of work previously noted 

 (E. S. R., 31, pp. 45.3, 752), it is stated that the forest tent catei'piHar was vei*y 

 abundant everywhere in the cranberry section during May and June, but that 

 it was never found feeding on cranberry vines. While the army worm was 

 abundant and did quite a little damage on bogs here and there the cases of 

 great injury appear to have been few. The gipsy moth is becoming more of a 

 menace each year. The cranberry weevil (Anthonomus suturalis) which did 

 much damage on some bogs at Plymouth in 1913 also caused a loss in the same 

 locality in 1014. The application of arsenicals when the vines were in bud some 

 time before any blossoms have oi>ened appears to have reduced the injury 

 caused. The spanworm (Epelis truncataria faxonii), which seriously damaged 

 a bog at Wareham, was found to be parasitized by an ichneumonid. to be de- 

 scribed by the author as Campoplex variabilis n. sii., to the extent of 25 to 30 per 

 cent. The larviB are said to have survived a winter submergence of five months 

 in the bog. The cranberry tip worm (Cccidomyia oxyeoccana) and the cran- 

 berry fruit worm were given special attention during the year and are here con- 

 sidered at some length. Notes are also given on tiae flowed bog firewomi or 

 blackhead cranberry worm (Rhopohota vacciniana) . 



It was determined that the cranberry tip worm is responsible for the poor 

 budding that follows the serious dying back of the cranberry tips, which had 

 been supposed to be due to injury to the root system caused possibly by mis- 

 management in the use of water during the growing season. It was found that 

 the maggots of the most injurious brood leave the tips and go down to the sand 

 under the vine to form their cocoons. Flowed bogs which had been resnnded 

 the fall before or in the spring before the first of JNIay were, as a rule, much 

 less seriously injured than those not thus resanded. 



In regard to the cranberry fruit worm it is stated that late holding of winter 

 flowage appears to be the only method of satisfactorily combating it. Sub- 

 mergence tests show that the fruit worm, in its cocoon, is quite resistant to 

 drowning. The cocoons of this insect are not impervious to water, but the 

 pupse do not appear to be readily killed by contact insecticides, such as scalecide 

 and blacklcaf 40, which were tested during the year. While nearly a dozen 



