63 



yard of an acre or more in extent, evident!}" engaged in collecting 

 insects. He carried a stick or wand in one hand and long shears in 

 the other. The end of the- stick had been dipped in some sort of 

 insect lime, and it proved that he was collecting hornets and wasps, 

 which were presumably injuring the ripening grapes. His method 

 consisted in deftly touching the wasp with his wand and catching it 

 upon the lime, and then promptly cutting it in two with his sheai's. 

 He was so intensely interested in this occupation that he paid no 

 attention to my presence. 



SILK INDUSTRY. 



The importance of the silk crop of Japan has led to a good deal of 

 experimental work in connection with some of the agricultural stations 

 looking to improvement of methods of silk culture. The insect ene- 

 mies of the mulberry have also been very carefull}' studied. A con- 

 sideration of the silk industry as a whole in Japan would be out of 

 place in this connection. It is an industr}" which extends practically 

 throughout the Empire, the most important district, perhaps, being 

 in north central Japan, especially about Fukuoka, where the mul- 

 berry is grown in great quantities and in orchards of considerable 

 extent. Elsewhere, as a rule, it is grown as a hedge plant or in little 

 garden patches. The trees are cut back each year, so that the}' often 

 have the appearance of osier willow stumps. Sometimes the young 

 leafy branches are tied up in great bundles and carried to the villages 

 to be sold to local silk raisers, a fairly fixed price lieing received for 

 these mulberry shoots, which may be kept for several days if stored 

 in a cool, dark place. There is, therefore, a regular business of sup- 

 plying and selling leaves as well as of raising small batches of worms. 

 The silk output of Japan is the accumulation of the small productions 

 of millions of people rather than of large cooperative or individual 

 operations. 



Following this lecture Mr, Simpson read the following paper, also 

 illustrated with lantern slides: 



OBSERVATIONS UPON THE LIFE HISTOEY OF THE CODLING 



MOTH. 



By C. B. Simpson, Washington, D. C. 



During the past three seasons the writer has been studying the cod- 

 ling moth in the Pacific Northwest under direction of Dr. Howard. 

 The insect in some localities of that region was injuring practically all 

 of the apples, and unless some means were found of controlling it, 

 abandonment of apple culture on a commercial scale was being seri- 

 ously considered by many growers. 



