260 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.35 



Notes on the cat flea (Ctenocephalus felis), H. Lyon {Psyche, 22 {1915), 

 No. 4, pp. 12.'f-132, pi. 1, figs. 4). — The notes here presented relate to the infes- 

 tation of 139 cats, the seasonal abundance of the cat flea, the method of raising 

 fleas, observations on the anatomy of the larva, etc. 



The rose chafer : A destructive garden and vineyard pest, F. H. Chittenden 

 and A. L. Quaintance {U. S. Dept. Agr., Fanners' Bui. 721 {1916), pp. S, figs. 

 ^). — This popular account of the rose chafer and methods of control is an 

 enlarged revision of Circular 11 of the Bureau of Entomology. 



The cherry leaf beetle, a periodically important enemy ot cherries. R. A. 

 CusHMAN and D. Isely {U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 352 {1916), pp. 28, pis. 5, figs. 

 9). — The present studies with Galerucella cavicoUis were in large part con- 

 ducted at North East, Pa. ; observations made at the New York Cornell Station 

 by Herrick and Matheson have been previou.sly noted (E. S. R., 34, p. 75G). 



The authors find the pin, fire, or bird cherry {Prunus pennsylvanica) to be 

 the natural food plant of this insect. The wild black cherry (P. serotina) and 

 chokecherry {P. virginiana) are entirely immune from attack, even by the 

 beetles. Among the cultivated fruits only sour cherry and peach trees are at- 

 tacked, the sweet cherry and plum not being attacked at all. 



The outbreak of 1915 is said to have been by far the most injurious that 

 has ever occurred, the damage having been caused throughout two compara- 

 tively large regions, the one in the Appalachian region involving the greater part 

 of New York, Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia; the other in the 

 northern part of lower Michigan, especially in the Grand Traverse region, where 

 cherry growing is very extensive. 



In the vicinity of North Enst, Pa., the beetle appeared on .Tune 7, literally 

 covering the leaves of the trees attacked, the source of the migi-ation having 

 been to the south of the grape l)elt, from cut-over forest land grown over by 

 pin cherry, the foliage of which had been reduced by a freeze on May 27 and 

 in part of the range by the tent caterpillar also. The beetles gradually disap- 

 peared until by the latter part of .Tune practically all had gone, although a few 

 scattering ones were found as late as early August. 



Tlie adult feeds almost exclusively on the underside of the leaves, eating 

 small, irregular holes through the lower epidermis and parenchyma and some- 

 times through the entire leaf. To an extent it feeds also upon the fruit of 

 the cherry, scarring and pitting it. The larvse of all ages feed in a manner 

 similar to the adults on the undersurface, eating through the leaf to the upper 

 epidermis but leaving that intact. The period of economic injury of this beetle 

 extended over 14 or 18 days after its first appearance in June. 



Technical descriptions are given of its life stages. Data relating to life his- 

 tory studies of nearly 600 individuals, almost half of which were carried through 

 their entire development from hatching to emergence of the adult insect, are re- 

 ported upon, much of the data being presented in tabular form. The larvse 

 continued to hatch out as late as August 18 and were observed on pin cherry as 

 late as September 10. The active feeding portion of the larval life in the cages 

 varied from 10 to 20 days, the average being 12.33 days. The period spent in 

 the ground in the cages varied from 14 to 28 days, the average being 22.36 days, 

 and the total developmental period being from 45 to 50 days. 



A small carabid beetle {Lebia ornata) was found to attack both pupte and cal- 

 low adults voraciously. 



The control experiments conducted are briefly summarized as follows: 



"Arsenate of lead must be used at a rate of not less than 5 lbs. to 50 gal. of 



water to be effective in protecting trees from injury by the cherry leaf beetle. 



A mixture to which molasses was added at the rate of 1.5 gal. to 50 gal. of the 



mixture was effective in killing practically all of the beetles which fed upon the 



