1900 ] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95 



and he merely mentioned the fact as a suggestion from Mr. Ehrhorn that it is very desir- 

 able to establish such parasites in that section. He had promised to do whab he could 

 from his end of the line, and he hoped that others who were fortunate enough to possess 

 such parasites would also assist. He had also received a request from Professor Morgan 

 for specimens of the parasite which he had bred and which Mr. Howard had named. 

 Professor Morgan is anxious to colonize this parasite on Murgantia histrionica in 

 Louisiana, and Mr. Johnson had promised to send him parasitized eggs of the harlequin 

 cabbage bug at the earliest opportunity, but up to the present time had been unable to 

 find any specimens of this destructive pest. Three years ago it was one of the most de- 

 structive insects in the Maryland and Virginia cabbage-growing sections, but since the 

 freeze of February, 1899, he bad seen very few specimens. He was unable to say 

 whether this was due entirely to the freeze or to the parasites. The parasite is a new 

 species (Encyrtus Johnsoni Howard, Oan. Ent. Vol, XXX, pp. 17, 18) and there seems 

 to be some promise of its successful introduction into the South. 



Mr. Gillettte said he considered the matter of parasites one of great interest, and he 

 hoped the subject would be further discussed. In Colorado nature often seems out of 

 balance. There are a number of species which are not abundant in the East, but which 

 are very icjurious in Colorado, and he thought it was because the parasites have not been 

 carried to that section of the country. In his opinion it would be of the greatest benefit 

 to certain portions of the country to introduce insect enemies, both parasitic and pre- 

 daceous. 



Dr. Howard said he desired to call the attention of the members of the Association 

 to the fact that this was the most representative meeting of the Association ever held. 

 Not only was Mr. Woodworth, of California, present, with Mr. Fernald, of Massachu- 

 setts, Mr. Weed, of New Hampshire, and Messrs Qaaintanoe and Scott, of the Southern 

 States, but also ** our dear old friend," Mr. Fletcher, of Canada, and Mr. Lounsbury, 

 who had carried American economic entomology clear across the Atlantic Ocean to 

 South Africa. Mr. Currie, the under secretary of agriculture for Cape Colony, who was 

 recently visiting Mr. Howard in Washington, had said that he was very glad indeed that 

 he had sent for an American entomologist to come to the Cape, and congratulated his 

 department upon being able to secure such a man as Mr. Lounsbury. 



Dr. Howard presented a third note in which he gave an account of the useful work 

 performed by the larvae of a little lady-bird beetle, Hyperaspis signata^ in destroying the 

 sciles on maple trees, Puivinaria acericola, and also those of F. innumerabilis. These 

 larva? very much resemble the scales on which they feed. 



Mr. E. P. Felt, State Entomologist of New York, read a paper on 



Some Efflcts op Early Spring Application of Insecticides on Fruit-trees. 



He said that a seiies of tests had this spring been begun near Albany, N. Y., with 

 the object of ascertaining the best method of controlling the San Jose Scale in orchards. 

 Daring the progress of the work trees were treated with mechanical mixtures of water 

 and kerosene, and of water and crude petroleum, using 20 and 25 percent, of the oils and 

 applying with a kero-water sprayer. A few trees were treated with undiluted kerosene and 

 others with undiluted crude petroleum ; a number ot trees were also treated with caustic 

 potash whale oil soap, at the rate of 2^ lbs. to a gallon of water, and some with a com- 

 bination of the soap and crude petroleum in the proportion of one pound of soap to four 

 gallons of water, and one gallon of the oil to ten gallons of the soap solution. The spray- 

 ing was mostly done on April 11th and the work was performed in a mixed orchard of 

 over ICO young pear, peach, plum and cherry trees, where the San Jos^ scale had been 

 for about eight years, and the trees, therefore, presented every degree of infestation. The 

 undiluted kerosene and crude petroleum were applied to the worst infested trees. 



The spraying with the insecticides occurred just before the buds began to open, and 

 with the exception of the trees treated with the undiluted oil? very few or no harmful 

 effects were observed. Eight days after spraying, the trees as a rule were budding out. 

 Those treated with kerosene gave little indication of the presence of the oil on the bark, 

 while the dark colour of those treated with crude petroleum was very apparent a condi- 

 tion which still continues at the time of writing, June 20th. The whale-oil soaps showed 

 to a considerable extent. Photographs were exhibited showing the harmlessnesa of 



