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Special Report of the State Board of Agriculture on the Extermination of the 



Gcnerla Dispar, or Gypsy Moth. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1892. , 

 This official pamphlet gives an interesting account of the very remarkable and 

 unique efforts that are being made in the State of Massachusetts to exterminate the 

 Gypsy Moth. This insect, imported from Europe, was accidentally permitted to estab- 

 lish itself about twenty years ago, and has now multiplied to such an extent as to be a 

 serious pest throughout a considerable area of the State. In March, 1890, the Legis- 

 lature passed an Act appointing three Commissionei-s to " provide and carry into 

 execution all possible and reasonable measures to prevent the spreading and secure the 

 extermination of the Ocneria Dispar or Gypsy Moth in the Commonwealth;" the sum 

 of $25,000 was also appropriated for the work. Last year the Commission was merged 

 into the State Board of Agriculture, and a further grant of $50,000 was mad^ to it. 

 The Report before us gives the details of the work carried out and the modes adopted for 

 waging war against the insect. They were very largely under the direction of Professor 

 Fernald, as Entomological adviser, and Mr, Forbush, as Superintendent of Field Work. 

 The number of men employed varied with the season, and at one time, in June last, was 

 as many as 242. The work began with the destruction of the eggs ; when these 

 proceeded to hatc'i out, spraying the caterpillars with insecticides was adopted, and 

 towards the close of the season the eggs were again made the objects of attack. An 

 enormous number of the insects were destroyed, and a perceptible diminution in the 

 amount of injury was observed in some places. We shall look forward with great 

 interest to the result of the present year's operations, and hope in time to be able to 

 record a great victory in this field of practical Entomology. C. J. S. B. 



Insects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees, by Alpheus S. Packard, M.D., Ph.D. 

 (Fifth Report of the Entomological Commission of the United States). 1 vol., 

 8vo., pp. 957. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1890. 

 About ten years ago (in 1881) what was then called the Entomological Commission, 

 consisting of Messrs. Riley, Packard and Thomas — three very eminent men — issued a 

 work by Dr. Packard on "Insects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees" (Bulletin 

 No. 7), a goodly volume of 275 pages, well illustrated and replete with valuable infor- 

 mation. Recently a revised and much enlarged edition of this publication has been 

 issued by the Department of Agriculture at Washington, bringing the original work 

 more nearly down to date, and furnishing, as far as possible, a omplete manual on the 

 subject. The new volume is more than three times the s'ze of the former edition, 

 consisting of no less than 950 pages, illustrated by over 400 wood cuts and forty plates, 

 twelve of which are colored Some idea of the extent of the work, as well as of the 

 importance of the sulject, may be found from the fact that descriptions are given of over 

 three hundred species of insects that afi-^ct the oak, and the names of nearly one 

 hundred and fifty more are mentioned ; sixty-one are described as attacking the elm, 

 and thirty more mentioned ; one hundred and fifty-one described that atfect the pine, 

 and a list of twenty more given ; and so on for a large number of other trees. Economic 

 entomologists for the most part devote their attention to the insects that attack fruit 

 trees, crops and vegetables, as these most directly atfect the public ; but surely no m >r i 

 important matter can be studied than the preservation of our forests, which are annuilly 

 being depleted for the purposes of commerce, as well as by tire and insects. It is high 

 time that more attention was paid to this matter, and that people generiUy should be 

 aroused to the dangers that will surely result if we allow our country to be stripped of 

 its woods and forests. In some countries of Europe, notably in Germany, a very rigid 

 oversight of the forests is maintained by the government-, and no wanton or careless 

 destruction is permitted. In connection with this, they enooura.^e scientific men to 

 devote their studies to the insect enemies of trees, and as a result s)me rawgnifijent 

 books have been published, chief among these are the grand work of Ratzeburg and the 

 perhaps less widely known publications of Kaltenbach. Alongside of these Dr. Packard's 

 book will assuredly take its pluce, as his work is very carefully and completely done. 

 The life-history of each insect described is as far as possible fully given ; the best 

 published descriptions of each stage are quoted and references given wherever the author 



