339 



treatineuts of eimilsion and poison was clondy and moist to cool for a period of five 

 or six days. 



Mr. Schwarz advised my trying the jarring of the beetles on a clotli saturated with 

 pure kerosene. Following this advice, I made a frame nearly of the shape of a pal- 

 metto fou, made by bending barrel hoops and fastening to a forked stick, leaving 

 one prong long for a handle. I covered this with 14-ounce ducking. This gave me 

 a shape that by passing the trunk of the tree into the crotch of the fork nearly sur- 

 rounded the limbs with the canvas, which was 3 feet in diameter, and proved quite 

 effective, although I would advise the use of a woolen cloth with nap as holding the 

 oil better and preventing the jumping off of the beetles the instant they touch the 

 surface, which fully two-thirds do. With tliis apparatus kept saturated the beetles 

 cau be kept in check during cool weather by passing over the orchard once a day. 

 Diiringwarm weather it is nearly useless, as countless thousands are in the air, and two 

 minutes after jarring, by actual count before and after and timing by my watch, I 

 found nearly as many as the first time. Having the beetles between me and the 

 sun, I could plainly observe their flight, and saw they were coming from out the 

 edge of the woods close by, and especially did I notice them circling in large quan- 

 tities around an old brush heap located just at the edge of the woods. Mr. Schwarz 

 thought it possible that the clearing and fallowing of the laud had caused the bee- 

 tles to hatch earlier than usual. This theory M^ould seem to be l)orne out from the 

 fact that the trees surrounding a rocky spot nearly in the center of a large field of 

 1,000 trees have in the last few days been attacked with redoubled violence; but I 

 do not consider this at all conclusive. The woods and locust trees are rapidly getting 

 green, and while I have noticed some beetles on the latter trees both here and on 

 adjoining farms, yet I see no tendency as yet in the beetles to abandon the peach for 

 their natural food plant, aud in the last few days they have been worse on my cherry 

 trees than when the leaves were younger. I should l)e glad to learn the results of 

 experiments with alkalies as affecting foliage. Soot is efficacious in treatment of 

 masticating insects on squash vines, etc., when used dry, and I would be glad to know 

 if it could be used in solution safely and with the same effect 



LETTER OF MAY 12. 



A few beetles are still on my trees, but the trees are fast growing out of their reach. 

 Since May 5 the damage done is not noticeable. It is too early to state definitely 

 the percentage of damage done. In a general way I can say that the pear trees 

 show least ill effects. A number of plums have succumbed and several hundred 

 peach trees are killed to the ground, but are putting up from below ground. The 

 trees were planted somewhat deeper than they stood in the nursery, and it is owing 

 to this fact that I will save a larger per cent than otherwise, as one or more buds 

 were left covered by earth aud escaped. None of the peach trees escaped with less 

 than two months' set- back, and many from twelve mouths to total destruction. For 

 a iieriod of three or four days the locust growth divided honors in attention from the 

 beetles, but they are fewer now on both peach and locust, the proportion being about 

 the same ou both. One of my neighbors has been troubled with them on young- 

 apple trees, and I have noticed them ou locust bushes in every portion of the neigh- 

 borhood that I have visited lately. 



CONCLUSIONS, 



In spite of its small size — not exceeding one-tenth of an inch — the 

 beetle is readily recognized, even without the aid of a magnifying glass, 

 from its coloration and the sculpture of the upper side, in connection with 



