52 BULLETIN NO. 2, DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 
tinued about four weeks in the perfect state, and did considerable damage to orchards 
by piercing the small branches of the trees to deposit their eggs, and thereby destroy- 
ing them. How long or far back they have made their periodical visits of seventeen 
years I am unable to learn, but I find a few aged citizens who have witnessed their 
advents four times according to the above-mentioned periods. Jsend you some of the 
wood they pierced last summer, and you may find that some of the larvee are still in 
the wood. The pictorial illustrations of this insect and its various stages of being 
are exactly in accordance with my observations of it.—[Simon Forshay, Penn Yan, 
N. Y., October 9, 1882. 
ENORMOUS NUMBERS OF BEETLES IN STORED GRAIN. 
One of the first business men of Detroit, whose house and barn are all in one struct- 
ure, is flooded with Silvanus surinamensis. Now a miller comes to me saying that a 
mill which he has just bought is full of insects. One is of the same family as that 
mentioned above. The other something else. Whatare they, please? Isend several 
specimens. The miller has taken all his floors up. I have suggested several things, 
only two of which are effective, bisulphide of carbon and kerosene. I think the former 
can be made to do the work. We are going to give it a thorough test. Of course we 
know the danger. We shall run no risk. Can you give me any hints? Have you 
known anything like it? The S. surinamensis in Detroit were in pints; by putting in 
the barn a piece of meat any time of day one could gather a pint in short order. 
They were almostas bad in the house. Please advise me.—[ A. J. Cook, Lansing, Mich., 
November 1, 1882. 
RepLty.—The beetles which accompany your letter of the lst of November, 1882, are 
Palorus depressus Fabr. and Lemophleus alternans Evrichs. They are both cosmopolitan 
insects, like most of the grain-feeders. You ask for suggestions; I can recommend 
nothing better than the bisulphide of carbon, if artificial heat is not available. In 
either case I should recommend the building of an air-tight bin to use as a quarantine 
for all flours in the establishment. 
EAST INDIAN COTTON-WORM REMEDY, 
* * * ‘With reference to the remedy for cotton insects, I would state that the 
natives in upper Burma, where cotton is largely grown for China, use conjee-water in a 
fermented state. This conjee-water is obtained by boiling rice, and is daily poured in 
small quantities into a vessel capable of holding from 8 to 10 gallons. Occasionally a 
little boiled rice is thrown into the vessel, and if any quantity is taken out for use it 
is replaced from the cook-house the following day. After fermentation has set in, a 
little salt and the rind of a squeezed fresh lemon is put in. The natives state they 
have found this preparation efficacious for not only all insects on the cotton-plant, 
but for other purposes, for killing those which attack tobacco and cigars.”—[C. Lueas, 
Rangoon, British Burma, E, India, November 2, 1882. 
A WATER-PROOF INSECTICIDE. 
Your report of November 20 has been received, for which please accept my thanks. 
I have for the last few years been very much interested in entomology, or that part of 
it which pertains to insects injurious to vegetation, and I think I have made some 
experiments which may prove of general use, the results of which I have already sent 
to our State Agricultural Report. I find in the use of an insecticide that when used 
in solution the finer the spray the more effective. I also use in the solution a small 
amount of gum arabic or glue; if glue, laddasmall quantity of bichromate of potash ; 
this makes it to a certain extent water-proof, so that it can stand two or three show, 
ers of rain. I think this water-proofing the solutions will prove of great advantage.— 
[ William Plumer, Lexington, Mass., January 8, 1883. 
