99 DECIDUOUS FRUIT INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES. o 
Owing to the lateness of the season and the press of other work 
in the fall of 1909, very little in the way of biological studies cf this 
new species could be accomplished, although several unsuccessful 
attempts were made to carry the larve through to the adult stage. 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE PEACH AND PLUM SLUG IN 1910. 
In the spring of 1910 a careful watch was kept for the insects, and 
the earliest recorded observation was made on April 1, when two 
adult sawflies were observed on a peach tree. This is probably very 
near to the first date of appearance of the species, since careful 
search did not reveal larve until April 7. On this date 6 larve 
one-third grown and 5 eggs were found. Morgan (1. ¢.) states that 
the adults may be seen at any time from the middle of March until 
cold weather. His observations were made at Baton Rogue, La., 
about 130 miles south of Tallulah, La. 
On April 21 several larvee were taken, feeding on the leaves of a 
plum tree in the laboratory yard. From this time on, and under 
generally warm, dry weather conditions, the infestation increased 
eradually until April 24, when a severe frost killed all but a very few 
of the immature stages, including all of those directly under observa- 
tion on the trees. Following the freeze came a long, cold drought, 
unbroken until May 18 and followed by about a week of daily heavy 
rains. This, in turn, was followed by more cold weather. From the 
middle of June until the first week in July there were almost daily 
heavy rains. This combination of unfavorable weather conditions held 
the species in check to such an extent that 1t was difficult to find it in 
any stage. On July 12, 7 full-grown larve and a number of small 
larve were found, the latter probably hatched since the last rain. 
None between these two stages was observed. After this time fre- 
quent observations were made and considerable rearing work done. 
While before the freeze of April 24 all of the trees in the laboratory 
yard had suffered about equally from the depredations of the insects, 
from this time until about the middle of August the infestation was 
confined almost entirely to two trees, which stood within a few feet 
of the north side of the house, and which were further sheltered by a 
large pear tree and a persimmon tree. For a long time the injury 
was practically confined to the lower branches close to the house 
and under the pear and persimmon trees. But as the season advanced 
and the supply of suitable leaves in those locations failed the 
infestation spread over these two trees and to the other peach trees 
and the plum trees in the yard. Whether it is the normal habit of 
the species to confine its work as closely as possible to its breeding 
place, or whether the concentration noted was due to the fact that 
the adults which survived the freeze sought a sheltered location for 
depositing their eggs, is not quite clear. However, the earlier 
