1 78 NOTES AND COMMENTS [march 



Syllabus of the Institute for 1899, printed, doubtless, in ignorance of 

 the financial prosperity that lay before it. We have also before us the 

 scale of charges of the Investigation Department, framed on lines some- 

 what similar to those of the Clinical Eesearch Association. It will 

 clearly henceforth be beneath the dignity of an institution with an 

 endowment of £250,000, to test the sputum for tubercle bacilli for a 

 remuneration of five shillings, or even to offer a complete chemical and 

 bacteriological report on a sample of water for a similar number of 

 guineas. This may be left to those who have to work for their liveli- 

 hood. The Jenner Institute has now before it a magnificent and 

 unique opportunity for showing what can be accomplished in scientific 

 results where " money is not so much an object as a comfortable 

 home." 



Economic Entomolog)^. 



" The Eeport of the Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Meeting of the 

 Association of Economic Entomologists" (1898) contains contributions 

 under the names of many well-known American entomologists. 



Two different entomologists write on the San Jose, or Pernicious 

 Scale, an insect which certainly beats the record for literature on a 

 single form, for legislation directed against the pest, and for money 

 spent in combating its ravages. 



In the experiments directed against the San Jose Scale, the feature 

 of the year, as mentioned in the report before us, has been the use of 

 pure paraffin with effective result against the Scale, and often no conse- 

 quent, or at least permanent, harm to the tree. While most of the 

 experimenters reported favourably, one or two cases were brought 

 forward where sprayed plants were killed, and, so far as experiment has 

 gone, the position may be summed up thus : — (1) Pure kerosene must 

 always be used with great care ; (2) it should not be used against young- 

 plants or tender fruit-trees; (3) hardier fruit-trees may be sprayed 

 with pure kerosene, but the trees must not be drenched ; the spraying 

 should be carried out while the trees are in a dormant state ; the 

 day chosen for the spraying should be a bright one, with weather 

 conditions favouring evaporation ; (4) in case of recommendation to 

 spray with pure kerosene, "the individual fruit-grower should be 

 advised to experiment in a small way, and so determine for himself 

 in his own locality, and under the local conditions that exist, whether 

 he can use kerosene to advantage." 



The caterpillars of the gipsy-moth (Porthetria clispar), as told in 

 the report, continue their work of defoliation in the State of Massa- 

 chusetts. Less than thirty years ago a few moths of this species, 

 introduced into America by a naturalist for indoor experiment, acci- 

 dentally escaped. In twelve years' time the descendants of these were 



