402 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fruit trees by devouring the leaves. The latter part of the season was 

 very dry and favorable for the green ant and brown aphis, that work on 

 the young growth of the apple, plum, and some other trees and plants. 

 In some places, the apple and plum trees suffered seriously by the young 

 leaves becoming curled and blackened, growth ceased, and, in some in- 

 stances, the twigs have died back several inches from the ends. In Sep- 

 tember, we observed considerable numbers of a minute species of the 

 ichneumon fly hovering around some apples that contained the codlin 

 worm. This insect has a habit of depositing its eggs in living insects. 

 These eggs hatch, and the young feed upon the vitality of the worm when 

 in the pupa state, causing it to perish; and there is a faint hope that this 

 little fly has come to deliver us from much longer feeding upon wormy 

 apples. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON ENTOMOLOGY. 



DR. M. M. FRISSELLE, EXCELSIOR. 



I have had little opportunity during the past season to make extended 

 observations on the destructive work of such insects as are obnoxious to 

 the horticulturist. However, there are a few varieties that have forced 

 themselves on my notice, and proved troublesome in the region about Lake 

 Minnetonka and other adjacent sections of country. The forest cater- 

 pillar, cabbage worm, squash beetle, currant borer and Colorado beetle, 

 have been the most numerous and offensive. The first, the forest cater- 

 pillar, cUseocampa sylvatica, made its appearance early in May, just as 

 the forest trees were putting out their tender leaves. They appeared in 

 countless numbers, completely denuding the forest trees of their foliage. 

 They invaded the garden, stripping not only the raspberry bushes, but 

 making a vigorous attack upon the currant bushes and grape vines, though 

 doing little damage to the latter. They made sad havoc, however, with 

 the apple and plum trees, and rose bushes. No remedy seemed to avail 

 much in hindering them in their destructive work, except kerosene oil, 

 and that destroyed all plants and small trees to which it was applied. 

 For some reason a very large portion of the caterpillars died before ma- 

 turing and retiring in cocoons, which favors the comforting belief that 

 few will appear during 1893. 



The cabbage werm, pieris rapae, was more numerous than I have ever 

 known it before, and the few hundred plants set in my own grounds 

 were all destroyed: and from the high price of this valuable esculent in all 

 our markets, I conclude that the cabbage worm has held high carnival 

 throughout this region of country. Many remedies for this pest have 

 been suggested, but few, if any, seem to have proved efficient. From all 

 experiments it would appear that dust of some kind is most effectual, and 

 that which seems least objectionable is fine bran applied freely and fre- 

 quently to the plant during the invasion of the insect. Some have ap- 

 plied road dust with good success. Others have used fine salt, and 

 some, hot water. Whatever means are used, results seem to show that 

 eternal vigilance is the price of good cabbage. 



