97 



snails devoured them, and it was impossible to sprinkle the lime on 

 the plants at this time, showing that the lime is etfective practicall3" 

 only on plants that are of sufficient growth to be dusted. We have 

 also advised our correspondent o use soot and fine road dust, and it 

 seems possible that if these ,-en spoiled flour were mixed with lime 

 and carefully sifted an ' .^en gently puffed on the plants by means of 

 an ordinar}^ powder atomizer, of i or 5 inches diameter, and costing 

 about 15 to 25 cents, this would destroy or deter the snails from injur- 

 ing the plants. Salt is also a good remedy for slugs. The reason for 

 the great injury by snails was doubtless due to the unusually cool and 

 very damp weather experienced over a large portion of the countr3\ 



EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE 



Supposed Cutworm Injury to Orange Fruit. — Durintj August, 1903, we re- 

 ceived two connuunications from correspondents in Florida, one from Dr. Leon A. 

 Peek, of 31elbourne, with accompanying specimens of oranges which had dropj)ed 

 from the trees, and which showed what seemed to be the work of cUml>ing cut- 

 worms possibly, l)ut the pest itself could not be discovered. One of our correspond- 

 ents was of the impression that the Mexican or Morelos orange worm was at work. 

 From Mr. G. H. Carr, of Hypoluxo, Fla., we received a similar complaint. In 

 neither case was the correspondent able to locate the culprit. In the first instance 

 (if injury the orange sent was a "drop." Our second correspondent lielieved that 

 the oranges were injured while on the trees. 



By using a curculio catcher or large inverted undjrella under the branches and 

 jarring them lightly, the insect should be dislodged, particularly if this method of 

 capturing them were employed at night with the aid of a lantern. 



Cotton Bands about Trees for Cutworms. — A correspondent in California 

 wrote this Office in 1903 that he had protected his young walnut trees, 400 in lumi- 

 ber, by wrapping the trnnks with cotton saturated with crude petroleum. This 

 grower may consider himself fortunate if he does not lose all his trees. 



Remedy for Cabbage Worms and Plant-Lice. — Edward 8. Thomas, Marshfield 

 Hills, Mass., Avrote, under date of September 21, 1903, that he had used very suc- 

 cessfully a compound called "Fly Killer" (to be used on cows and horses) as a 

 spray to kill the green cabbage worm and plant-lice. It killed instantly and has not 

 harmed the cabbage, so he writes. 



The Bollworm Moth at a High Elevation. — We received word from Prof. T. 

 D. A. Cockerell, May 4, 1903, that the previous day he observed at Placita, N. Mex., 

 about 6,850 feet above sea level, specimens of the bollworm' moth {Helluthh armiger) 

 busily sucking the flowers of wild plum. One of the specimens was unusually reddish. 



A Cabinet Beetle in a Locket. — Dr. George S. Yingling, Tiffin, Ohio, sent to 

 this Office, with acc<)mpanying letter dated May 30, 1903, a glass charm with sterling 

 silver band, inclosing a connnon French beetle, frequently used as an ornament, 

 together with larva of the cabinet beetle ( Trogodenna tarsale) which was destroying 

 it. By careful examination of the top of the charm it was seen that there was a 

 crack large enough for the admission of the larva while it was young. 



Food Habits of a Tree Cricket.— Mr. Alva A. Eaton, of Seabrook, N. H., has 



made some interesting observations on the food habits of Q^canthus quadripunctata 



Beutenmiiller, in which, by careful experimentation, he proved that a half-grown 



specimen of this tree cricket destroyed plant-lice, devouring a full-grown lou«e in 



22104— No. 44—04 7 



