EXPERIMENT STATION EEPORT. 537 



last days of July. I was also advised that, at the rate of one pound in 

 five gallons of water, whale-oil soap was not satisfactorily effective, 

 and at one pound in four gallons of water obvious injury was caused 

 to the foliage of maple. No other kind of tree suffered quite as much; 

 but it must be added that not all the injury to maple was due to insect 

 attack. 



EliM-LEAF BEETLE. 



The elm-leaf beetle has been more abundant during the past sum- 

 mer than for three years last past, and, assisted by the generally 

 droughty conditions, the trees have shown marked injury! At New 

 Brunswick the hibernating brood was not large and the early feeding 

 was inconspicuous. Egg masses did not seem especially abundant, and 

 it was decided that it would be unnecessary to spray; but the larvae 

 developed absolutely without check, the scraped leaves withered under 

 the effect of the intense heat and dryness, and trees were almost de- 

 foliated early in August. At that time the brood was mature and 

 beetles in great numbers had emerged. There was no killing off by 

 fungous disease, and there is a heavier brood in hibernation than there 

 has been at any time during the five years last past. It is, of course, 

 impossible to say what the coming winter and spring of 1905-06 

 may bring forth, but unless some very marked disasier overtakes the 

 insects there will be a heavier brood next summer (1906) than there 

 has been for many years past. In other localities the injury has been 

 less marked than at New Brunswick, but everywhere it has been 

 notable. 



THE GYPSY AND BROW^N-TAIL MOTHS. 



Late in July reports of the alarming spread of the gypsy and hroiun- 

 tail moths in Massachusetts began to be received, and assertions were 

 made that the insects had been found in New York and even New 

 Jersey. It was learned, also, that the legislature of Massachusetts 

 had again appropriated a large sum of money to assist municipalities 

 in dealing with it, and that Mr. A. H. Kirkland, formerly connected 

 with the work done by the Committee of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, was now in charge of this attempt. It was deemed wise, in view 

 of this situation, to make a personal investigation, and this was done — 

 first, between August 8th and 10th. and again later, between Sep- 



