October, '19] CORN BORER CONFERENCE 405 



EUROPEAN CORN BORER CONFERENCE 



A conference of about fifty Commissioners of Agriculture, official 

 entomologists, inspectors, etc., representing twenty-two states, in addi- 

 tion to officials from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and from 

 the Dominion of Canada, was held at Albany, N. Y., August 28, and 

 at Boston, Mass., August 29. 



At Albany, the opening meeting was held in the forenoon in the 

 State Education Building, after which a luncheon was given by the New 

 York State Museum. In the afternoon all visited the infested corn 

 fields in the vicinity of Schenectady, being transported in motor cars. 

 A meeting of Commissioners of Agriculture was scheduled for the 

 evening, and the entomologists gathered for an informal meeting 

 where was freely discussed the general policy of suppressing the corn 

 borer. 



Reservations had been made on the night train for Boston, and at 

 the morning meeting at the State House, a brief summary of the sit- 

 uation in Massachusetts was given by Mr. Wilfred Wheeler, com- 

 missioner of agriculture. The corn borer laboratory in Arlington was 

 then visited where Mr. D. J. Caffrey gave an interesting account of 

 the life history of the European corn borer as revealed in two years* 

 work with this insect in Massachusetts. After a luncheon furnished 

 by the Arlington Board of Trade, an inspection was made of some 

 infested fields, and demonstrations were given of methods of burning 

 weeds and of crushing stalks to kill the larvae in them. A visit was 

 also made to the gipsy moth laboratory, Melrose Highlands, and on 

 the way one of the automobile truck power sprayers was seen in action. 



Finally the committee on resolutions, appointed at the first session 

 in Albany, submitted the following report which was adopted by the 

 conference : 



Boston, August 29, 1919. 



Whereas, the European (!orn borer has become well established in both Massa- 

 chusetts and New York state, and during the past two years, has seriously damaged 

 both sweet and field corn in Eastern Massachusetts, and 



Whereas, it has spread rapidly this season and will, imless speedily checked in both 

 states, spread quickly over large areas heretofore uninfcstod and in a few years may 

 cause enormous losses which might run into many millions of dollars. 



Therefore, we, the National Association of Commissioners of Agriculture, with 

 official entomologists from many states and representatives of the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, together with representatives of the C^anadian Government, present 

 as experts in conference ujwn the situation, express ourselves, after examining the 

 infested area, as thoroughly convinced that this pest is one of the most dangerous 

 insects which has become established in America, and we hereby place ourselves on 

 record in favor of most energetic efforts on the part of federal and state agencies 

 to control, and, if possible, exterminate this insect, including in the program vigoroua 

 ([uarantines to prevent its distribution. 

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