15 



states that cultivations of this fungus, as well as of other fungi 

 attacking insects, can be obtained from the Bureau of Mycology and 

 Phytopathology of the Scientific Committee of the Central Board of 

 Land Administration and Agriculture. He disputes the statement 

 by Borodin that this method is no longer applied as a remedy against 

 Melolontha ; it is frequently used in France, although equally good 

 results are not always obtainable. The Bureau also experiments 

 with various other fungi as possible enemies of insects, 



Fabrikant (A. 0.). Kt> Bonpocy o 6opb6t co cieSneBoti cobkom. 



[On the question of fighting Oria musculosa, Hb.] — 

 « SeMJieA'feJlbMeCKafl ra3eTa.» [Agricultural Gazette], Petrograd, 

 no. 35 (47), 12th September 1914, pp. 1137-1138. 



The author reviews the work of a special conference on controlling 

 Oria {Tapinostola) musculosa, which was convoked by the District 

 Zemstvo of Petrograd in July 1914. In South Russia 0. musculosa is 

 one of the most dangerous pests, and so far as the government of 

 Ekaterinoslav is concerned, the damage caused by these insects in 

 1912 amounted to £265,000, as many as 54,000 acres of crops being 

 totally destroyed and 67,000 damaged in only five districts of the 

 government. Some of the remedies suggested proved to be unworkable. 

 Thus the late sowing of summer crops, which may be very effective 

 against 0. musculosa, the larvae of which appear early in spring, 

 cannot be undertaken, as it may risk the loss of the whole harvest. 

 The burning of stubble, harrowing, deep ploughing, regular rotation 

 of crops, and the destruction of weeds were also recommended. The 

 necessity of applying more scientific methods of agriculture was urged 

 on the population, the chief reason of the enormous multiplication of 

 the pests being the primitive methods of the local peasants, their 

 neglect of the use of ploughs and of autumn ploughing, and their 

 custom of sowing in soil prepared only by means of " bukkers " (an 

 antiquated implement which only scratches the surface). 



Van Dyke (E. C.)- The Great Basin tent-caterpillar in California 



{Malacosoma fragilis. Stretch). — MtJilij. Bull. Cal. State Commiss. 

 Hortic, Sacramento, Hi, no. 9, September 1914, pp. 351-355, 3 figs. 



Five of the nine species and varieties of Malacosoma which occur in 

 North America are found in California. The commonest is M. cali- 

 fornica. Pack., which normally feeds on live oaks and apple trees, 

 M. constricta, Stretch, found on black and white oaks, and M. pluviaUs, 

 Dyar, which is very injurious to apple trees as well as to the alder, 

 its native food-plant. M. fragilis, Stretch, ranges throughout the 

 northern portion of the Great Basin, extending from the Rocky 

 Mountains to the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas, and, according to 

 Dyar, feeds on the wild gooseberry and wild rose. During the summer 

 of 1914 enormous numbers of the caterpillars completely defoliated 

 the extensive bush areas to the south, east and north-east of Mount 

 Shasta, the bush presenting a brown and withered appearance. The 

 bush here is chiefly composed of two species — Ceanothus velutinus, 

 Dougl., and the so-called snow-bush, C. cordulatus, Kell., which seemed 

 to be the favourite food-plants. The caterpillars appeared about the 

 first of June and migration of full-grown individuals began about the 



