397 



Hoplocampa {Selandria) fulvicornis, Klug, has done great damage to 

 plum trees ; the larvae injure one plum after another, those which 

 fall to the ground with the fruits returning and attacking others. 

 Pupation takes place in the earth, the cocoons lying round the trees 

 at a depth of 3 to 7 inches. This time affords the best opportunity 

 for combating the pests, and experiments have so far shown that 

 the introduction into the soil round the trees of lumps of lime, followed 

 by watering with hot water, leads to the destruction of 60-70 per cent, 

 of the cocoons ; the first 3 inches of the soil, which contains practically 

 no cocoons, is previously removed ; experiments on the introduction 

 into the soil of carbon bisulphide or potassium sulphocarbonate are 

 not yet concluded. The necessity of combating Ajjoria crataegi and 

 Euproctis chrysorrhoea by removing their winter nests is referred to ; 

 the collected nests should be kept in a room so that the parasites have 

 an opportunity of escaping. Cheimatobia brunuita was more than 

 usually injurious in some orchards, attacking all fruit trees and many 

 forest trees. The use of belts are recommended, smeared with 

 tangle-foot or an adhesive prepared from three parts by weight of 

 castor oil, in which five parts of resin is dissolved (this preparation 

 remains tacky only for about two weeks) ; this should be apphed 

 during the second half of October, and later, when the females 

 ascend the trees to oviposit. Plums suffered seriously at 

 the end of April from Coleophora sp., both the unfolded blossoms 

 and leaves being devoured ; the Station is experimenting on 

 the effects of lime-sulphur and of Cahfomia mixture on these 

 pests. Sciaphobus {Sciaphilus) squalidus, Gyl., and Anthonomus 

 p&morwn, L., were also numerous during the year under report. 

 Lema melanopa, L., did great damage to barley in some localities ;. 

 experimental spraying with Paris green (minimum 1 oz. in 3 gals water), 

 and Ume gave good results, but it is pointed out that, as both the 

 leaves of barley and the larvae themselves are covered with a sticky 

 matter, the addition of Ume and of water is quite mmecessary, and 

 instead of a liquid insecticide, the powder may be dusted on the crop. 

 Winter-sown rape has been attacked by many insects, but chiefly suffered 

 from a weevil, Baris chloris, F., the larvae of which mostly fed inside 

 the stems of the plant, but were also occasionally found in the roots. 

 As the larvae are mostly inside the stems in May, trap-crops of rape 

 are recommended on infested fields. In the district of Orgeiev, rape 

 has also suffered from MeUgethes aeneus, F., the females of which 

 began to oviposit on the flower buds at the end of April and early 

 in May. Experiments in spraying with Paris green (| oz. of green 

 and 2h oz. of slaked lime in 3 gallons of water) in April, before the 

 blossoming, gave varying results, depending on the amount of the 

 insecticide used, and owing to the difficulty of getting the liquid to 

 penetrate the close masses of buds. Maize was damaged by Pi/rausfa 

 nubilalis {Botys silucealis), but Phlyctaenodes sticticalis, L., occurred 

 in 1914 in smaller numbers than in the previous two years. Tests of 

 various insecticides were made at the Station. Urania green in the 

 proportion of about \ oz. in 3 gals, water produced in the first three 

 days a death-rate of 36 per cent, of caterjiillars of Papilio podaliritis, 

 rising to 96 per cent, in the next two days ; this slow action is the 

 only disadvantage of this insecticide. English purple also proved very 

 effective ; in the proportion of | oz. of purple and 1 oz. of slaked lime 



