352 Forty-fourth Report on the State Museum 



the remedy for their attack. Eeply was made that they were a species 

 of the Scolytid bark-borers, known as Phloeotrihus liminaris (Harris). 

 In writings upon it, it has been given the common name of " the elm- 

 bark beetle; " but it has been recently ascertained that it does not 

 infest the elm, but that another form closely resembling it, viz., 

 Hylesinus opaculus Lee, had been mistaken for it. It is a well-known 

 pest of peach trees, and was formerly supposed to be the cause of 

 " the yellows; " but its only connection with it is that it is frequently 

 found in trees that have become weakened and sickly through the 

 disease. All of these Scolytid bark-borers, from their concealment and 

 habits, are difficult to reach and kill, and we know of no satisfactory 

 methods at present of dealing with them. Whenever a tree has become 

 badly infested, it should be promptly taken up and burned. I have 

 requested of our State Station at Geneva that experiments be made 

 in the application of kerosene to the trunks and limbs of trees, at 

 different seasons of the year, to see if it may be done with safety. If 

 it shall be found that kerosene — one of our most efficient insecti- 

 cides — may be freely applied without harm to the tree, then I trust 

 that we shall be able to kill the bark-borers in whatever stage they 

 may be occurring within or beneath the bark. 



This insect seems to be increasing in the State of New York. Some 

 notes upon it, descriptive of its galleries, etc., may be found in the 

 Fourth Report on the Insects of New York, 1888. 



The Cherry-tree Slug. 



The cherry-tree slug, Eriocampa cerasi (Peck), has, during the last 

 year, and for several preceding years, been very prevalent and 

 injurious at, and in the vicinity of. West Farms, N. T. As reported 

 by Mr. James Angus, the foliage has been so riddled by the feeding 

 of the well-known brown, slimy, slug-like larva, that a perfect leaf 

 could with difficulty be found. There is no need of injury such as 

 the above, for the larva can be readily destroyed by spraying with 

 hellebore in water — an ounce of the powder to two gallons of water — 

 or by dusting the foliage with fresh air-slaked lime. 



The Currant-stem Girdler. 

 The operations of this insect are recorded in my Fourth Keport 

 (page 47), as follows: "A short distance below one of the larger leaves 

 of a tip, five or six sharp, somewhat curved cuts could be seen, encir- 

 cling the stalk, and from their depth, nearly severing it, causing the 

 tip to fall over and hang by only some small points of attachment. 

 Later the tip breaks off and falls to the ground. The attack, while 

 allied to that of the raspberry-stem girdler, is quite distinct." 



