365 



Prof. B. E. Fernow, Chief of the Forestry Division of this Department, 

 which summarizes some of the more important facts connected with 

 the management of an allied pest in the northern parts of Europe. 

 Without going into detail, we may state that the special commission 

 appointed by the Governor to investigate, and if possible exterminate 

 the insect, became, as we feared it would from the manner in which it 

 was formed, very unpopular, and its work has been very severely crit- 

 icised. The present Governor has re-formed the commission, constitu- 

 ting it chiefly from the membership of the State Board of Agriculture, 

 and there is reason to believe that whatever can be done by man's 

 agency will now be done. Since the conference was held, we have 

 learned that a great deal of good preliminary work has been done by 

 the new commission, and that it is going on bravely. The commission 

 have thirty spraying teams, each with a pump running two lines of hose, 

 and gangs of carefully selected men, numbering in all 175. The eggs 

 have been found on a wider extent of territory than had been supposed, 

 or than had been estimated at the time of the conference, and in all cases 

 the caterpillars seem to have been carried by teams, usually in manure, 

 particularly from the infested territory. The commission is cutting and 

 burning brushlands, and useless trees and has asked for further sup- 

 port from the legislature. The task is a formidable one, but we are still 

 firmly of the belief that an energetic effort, at whatever cost, to stamp 

 it out entirely, is justified. One of the difficulties which the commis- 

 sion seems to be meeting with, is the popular prejudice against the use 

 of Paris green. The fruit-growers of Massachusetts are evidently not 

 as progressive or well informed as many of their brethren in other parts 

 of the country, or they would know that, properly applied, there is no 

 danger whatever and that, in addition to preventing the injury from 

 this Gypsy Moth, the treatment will also protect their orchards from 

 other insect pests. Experiments have fully proved that, even where a 

 large quantity of the insecticide drops upon the grass below and stock 

 feed upon such grass, no injury is done to them. However, there is no 

 need of such reckless use of the poison. It may be used so that it can 

 not do any possible harm to anything and yet be thoroughly beneficial 

 to the trees treated. 



A Massachusetts Bulletin.* — Professor Fernald takes up in this bul- 

 letin a number of the commoner fruit and garden pests, giving popular 

 summaries of life histories and remedies. The species treated are the 

 Bud Moth ( Tmetocera ocellana). Spittle Insects, the Squash Bug, the 

 Pea and Bean Weevils, the May Beetle, the Plum Curculio, the Onion 

 Maggot, the Cabbage Butterfly, the Tent Caterpillars, the Stalk Borer, 

 the Pyramidal Grape-vine Caterpillar, the Grape Berry Moth, the Cod- 

 ling Moth, the Cabbage Plutella, and the Gartered Plume Moth. The 



* Massachusetts Agricultural Experiineut Statioa, Bulletin No. 12. Report on in- 

 aects. Amherst, April, 1891, 



