June, '21] CURRENT notes 387 



accepted for credit in the Universities. Dr. Ball pointed out that the work of General 

 Dawes was not likely in any way to interfere with the progress of the Department 

 but rather would tend to make it a stronger and a better Department of Agriculture. 



Chairman Britton then requested Mr. Biu-gess to make an announcement, and Mr. 

 Burgess reported that the sum of $300.00 was now ready for distribution among 

 the members who had loaned S25.00 each. The distribution of the sum was effect- 

 ed by lot. 



The Chairman then called on Mr. Burgess to present "The Present Status of the 

 Gipsy and Brown Tail Moths". Mr. Burgess reviewed the conditions in New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania, New York and New England. He said in part that there was no 

 stripping in the New Jersey area and that caterpillars were extremely scarce as the 

 end of the season approached. The same condition obtained in the Pennsylvania 

 and New York infested areas. There was more stripping in the New England area 

 than formerly. This condition he believed to be due to the absence of natural enemies. 

 Parasites that did most of the work belong to the species that develop late. He 

 pointed out that the brown tail moth had decreased from an area of 35,000 square 

 miles to 20,000 square miles. This year the insect seemed to have greatly ina-eased. 

 There was a less marked increase in 1920. This year there have been some heavy 

 flights at Portsmouth and Dover, N. H. 



Mr. C. H. Hadley requesetd information on the actual damage done by defoliation 

 particularly of deciduous trees. Mr. Burgess replied that much data had been 

 collected relative to this situation but had not as yet been summarized He said 

 that three strippings in consecutive years usually kills ordinary deciduous trees. 



Mr. Crosby wanted to know the cause of increase of the brown tail moth. Mr. 

 Burgess said the increase was due he thought to neglect of measures of control and to 

 a less effective low temperatiu-e. 



The Chairman then called for Mr. Caffrey's paper on recent developments in the 

 life history of the European com borer. Mr. Caffrey indicated that existence of two 

 broods in New England and only one outside might be due to different strains of the 

 insect. He showed that adults do not distribute ordinarily on winds of any character. 

 Local work against the insect in many cases seems to be quite effective. Water drift 

 of infested material seems to be largely responsible for local increases in area. Larvae 

 can stand total submergence in fresh or salt water for 36 days. The insect has 

 proven much more resistent when dormant. Extremely early planted sweet corn is 

 badly infested. The next planting normally escapes and late plantings of early 

 varieties are usually badly infested. Late varieties are badly injured. A large 

 percentage of the borers are destroyed by plowing under. Removal and burning 

 of infested material is still m.ore effective. Spring plowing has proven useless. Egg 

 parasites are effective on occasion. Introduced parasites have been distributed but 

 there are no results as yet. 



The Chairman then called on Mr. Worthley to present his discussion on "Field 

 Methods of Controlling the European Corn Borer". Mr. Worthley said that field 

 control on a large scale had not yet had a test because funds had not been sufficiently 

 continuous. He believed that a large and complete test covering a period of years 



