Report of the Entomologist. 245 



REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



G. French, F.L.S., F.R.H.8. 



In submitting my roport for the year, I have the honour to state 

 that the work in this branch is still rapidly growing both in magni- 

 tude and importance, the number of visitors calling on Departmental 

 business having also largely increased. The number of specimens 

 submitted to me for examination still continues to be very large and 

 is decidedly on the increase, occupying a great portion of the time of 

 myself and assistant. 



Reports. 



Reports on the following subjects have been furnished to the 

 Department, viz. : — " Size of Fruit for Export," " Root Borer," " San 

 Jose Scale," "St. John's Wort," "Amended Vegetation Diseases 

 Act," "Hawthorn Hedges," "Dip for Fruit Cases," " Beechworth 

 Asylum Grounds," " Opuntia," " American Vines at Rutherglen," 

 " Weed Destruction on Railway Lines," " Results of Codlin Moth 

 Experiments," "Expenditure on Grasshopper Fungus Distribution," 

 " Grain from India," " Trees in Burnley Gardens," " Diseased Fruits 

 for Factory Use," " Visit to Lobb's Orchard," " Poisonous Spider" 

 (Lathrodectus) , " Prosecutions in Markets and Shops," " Shed for 

 Examination of Fruit for Export," etc. 



Correspondence. 



The correspondence connected with this branch is rapidly on the 

 inci'ease, many of the questions are, I am pleased to say, showing 

 more intelligence than heretofore. In all cases correspondence is 

 either replied to by myself or the reply is sent by my assistant under 

 my direction and dictation, so that correspondents, no matter who, 

 cannot possibly be kept waiting for a reply to their letters, and from 

 the commencement of my term of office the same degree of punctuality 

 has been strictly maintained. I have again to point out the necessity 

 of always sending a note when forwarding any parcel of specimens for 

 identification, so that the matter, where at all possible, may be 

 attended to at once. 



I am glad to be able to state that the same friendly correspon- 

 dence with entomologists in the sister States, as also with those of 

 foreign parts, still continues. 



As showing' the increase in the work of correspondence, it may 

 be stated that 4,194 letters were entered in the book for the year. 



Literary Work. 



In literary work the principal has been the various articles con- 

 tributed by me to the newly established Victorian Journal of Agri- 

 culture. It is to be hoped that sanction will soon be given for the 

 publication of Part IV. of my book on the Destructive Insects of 



