— 41 — 



We would recommend for tlie purpose of promoting the control and exter- 

 mination of this borer the appointment of a committee representing the Com- 

 issioners of Agriculture, official Entomologists and the Plant Pest Committee for 

 the purpose of unifying and directing all efforts for securing of appropriations 

 and to aid in the determination of a comprehensive policy. 



COMMITTEE 

 C. P. Xorgord. ■Madison. \\ is. 

 Chas. McCaffree, South Dakota. 

 Wilfrid \\'heeler, 136 State House, Boston. 

 E. P. Felt. State Museum. Albany. X. Y. 

 Geo. A. Dean. Manhattan. Kansas. 

 R. AA'. Harned. Agricultural College. ^liss. 



Later Conferences. — Since the Albany-Boston Conference in August. 1919, 

 several meetings of entomologists and Federal and State officers have been held 

 for further consideration of the Corn Borer problem. One of the most important 

 discussions took place at the 32nd Annual Aleeting of the Association of 

 Economic Entomologists at St. Louis, where the results and doings of the year 

 1919 were reviewed very thoroughly, especially by Dr. Felt, Entomologist for 

 New York State, and Dr. Marlatt. Assistant Chief of the U. S. Bureau of En- 

 tomology and Chief of the Federal Horticultural Board. Two important points 

 were brought out: — viz. 1. that the Corn-Borer was double-brooded in Massa- 

 chusetts and single-brooded in New York State ; 2. that the area of infestation in 

 December 1919 was 1900 square miles in Massachusetts. 20 square miles in New 

 Hampshire, 500 square miles in the Schenectady district and 400 square miles in 

 \\'estern New York; and 3. that the only kinds of corn that have been shown to 

 be damaged to any appreciable extent are sweet corn and the dwarf flint varieties. 



Regarding the habits of the Corn Borer, investigations in Massachusetts in 

 1919 show that individual females may make a single flight of 287 yards, and 

 that marked individuals were recovered at a distance of 600 yards. Moreover, 

 females may live 3)3 days, and deposit eggs in small masses during a considerable 

 part of this period — the maximum egg production of one individual being 1192. 



Although the insect breeds in about one hundred kinds of plants — weeds, 

 garden and cereal plants, it multiplies freely upon relatively few plants. 



It seems that the Corn Borer was introduced into the United States in the 

 years 1909 and 1910, for in those years nearly 10.000 tons of broom corn were im- 

 ported, chiefly from Austria-Hungary. '||(^f this importation 500 or 600 tons went 

 to a factory in Boston, and a like amount to Schenectady. N. Y.. but approx- 

 imately eight-tenths went to New Orleans. St. Louis. Chicago and other points in 

 the Mississippi Valley and were distributed from these centres to many broom 

 factories. There is, therefore, a great likelihood that the insect has been distri- 

 buted in this great corn-growing area. For various reasons, ])racticallv no effort 

 has been made thus far to "scout" the Mississippi Valley for the Corn Borer, 



