60 MISCKI.LANEOLS NOTES OX KCOXOMIC WORK 



Insect Collection. 



This department has a fairly large collection of insects for a 

 department of this kind. There are so many forms of insect life 

 that it is utterly impossil)le for one man to know all of them. Com- 

 paring the specimens sent in with those in the collection is necessary 

 for an up-to-date dei)artment. It is a fact, ho\ve\er, that unless such 

 a collection is attended to constantly and additions made, it will 

 rapidly deteriorate. With this in mind we are. as much as time 

 and funds permit, adding to our collection and haxing experts on 

 groups work up the newly collected material. This past year we 

 haye l)een fortunate in haying in the city Mr. AI. P. Somes, a well- 

 known ( )rthopterist, who has gratuitously giyen a mcjuth or more 

 of his time to naming and arranging our groups of ( )rthoptera and 

 also in helping us with the collection of Coleoptera. particularly in 

 naming specimens taken at Itasca l^ark. ( )ur collections are now 

 so large that an expert of this sort should ])e employed the entire 

 time to act as curator and make collections to keep the collection 

 usable. 



Spraying. 



In our s])ra}ing experiments we haye demonstrated that, — 



1. Arsenate of lead if properly used, is a l^etter spray for i)ota- 

 toes than Paris (ireen. 



2. In the regular orchard spraying a dormant spray of Lime 

 Sulphur is usually not necessary. 



3. Three sprayings of the orchard, if [)roperly tlone, will keep 

 the insects and diseases under control. 



When arsenate of lead is to he used on potatoes, the important 

 thing is to get it on early, befi^re the grubs hatch from the eggs. 

 It can be put on when the spring beetles are flying and, sticking to 

 the leayes through the rains, the poison will be present for the 

 young grubs to feed upon as they hatch. A\'e haye found that two 

 sprayings during the season will keeji the potato bug in check. 

 When diseases are present, arsenate of lead will mix well with the 

 Bordeaux Mixture, thus making an ideal spraying mixture. 



A dormant spray is giyen primarily for scale insects, particu- 

 larly the -San jose Scale. In no orchard of the state haye we found 

 this insect. We do, h(nyeyer. find oyster shell scale and scurfy 

 scale. When these latter scales are found it may be necessary to 

 use the dormant spray. It is a common belief that this dormant 

 spray is effectiye against such spores of disease as scab. In our 



