Twelfth Report of the State Entomologist 311 



Plains, Dutchess county, N. Y,, where it stripped the leaves of both 

 gooseberries and currants and threatened the destruction of the bushes. 

 It had been noticed for a few preceding years, and had been steadily in- 

 creasing. This season it was beyond control either by hand-picking or 

 jarring, and was proving a more serious pest than the currant-worm, as' 

 hellebore powder had little if any effect upon it. 



Although this insect is represented as common by most of our writers, 

 and according to Dr. Packard, " is everywhere abundant in the North- 

 ern States, flying in gardens and resting on the leaves of currant and 

 other plants," it can not be numbered among the more destructive 

 garden pests of the State of New York. The above is the first instance 

 in which the attention of the State Entomologist has been called to the 

 injuries of the caterpillar. Nor can it .be common on our wild currants 

 or gooseberries, for, to my surprise, in referring to the State Collection, 

 the moth is represented in a single example taken in Keene Valley on 

 July 2ist, 1895. 



Apparently the insect abounds in a locality for a few years and then 

 diminishes or entirely disappears. It was more numerous, according to 

 Dr. Fitch in 1847 when it was described and named by him than in any 

 of the intervening years to 1857 when he again wrote of it. During 

 this latter year, it proved very injurious to gooseberries and currants 

 at Paris Hill, Oneida County, N. Y., during the third year of its 

 presence. 



The Canker Worm. 



The spring canker worm, Anisopteryx veniata (Peck), which is quite 

 local in the state and seldom very injurious, has this season been com- 

 mitting serious depredations in scattered localities. The present year, 

 Mr. E. J. Preston has sent under date of May 21st, examples of the cater- 

 pillar of various sizes, with some of nearly full growth. He represents 

 them as skeletonizing the foliage in several of the orchards in his imme- 

 diate neighborhood. Efforts had been made to stay their ravages through 

 Paris green spraying. When used in several orchards by a person 

 employed who was familiar with spraying methods, a mixture of one 

 pound of the green and four pounds of lime to 200 gallons of water, did 

 not seem to kill a worm. The same in 150 gallons of water was also 

 ineffectual. A third spraying with 100 gallons of water was next tried, 

 the result of which had not been reported. 



It would seem from the above, provided that the Paris green was of 

 the standard purity, that the canker worm is almost as resistant to the 

 effects of Paris green as is the larva of the gypsy moth. 



