Division of Entomology. 



C. H. FERNALD. 



The insects treated of in this bulletin have been selected at the 

 request of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Aoriculture, by 

 whose liberality the edition has been increased to more than three times 

 as many copies as could otherwise have been published ; and, as a 

 I'esult, it will be sent to thousands of our citizens whose names are 

 not now on our mailing list, including members of Village Improve- 

 ment and other local societies. 



These insects have been bred and experimented upon at the Insec- 

 tary for several years past, and they have been described in the 

 publications of the Department of Agriculture and some of the 

 Experiment Stations, as well as elsewhere, so that it is now almost 

 impossible to give anything new, but we have attempted to give a 

 brief digest of what has been learned of their habits here and 

 elsewhere. 



There has been such culpable negligence on the part of many of 

 our people with regard to the tent caterpillar, that there can be no 

 doubt that some legislation is needed to compel the negligent to 

 destroy this pest on all the trees on their own laud, and thus prevent 

 it from extending to the trees in the surrounding orchards. 

 Provision should be made for the destruction of tent caterpillars 

 on all public lands as well as in the forests, and village improve- 

 ment societies should urge such action in town meetings as shall 

 make it the duty of the superintendent of roads to destroy all the 

 tent caterpillars on the trees and shrubs along the sides of the roads. 



The wild cherry trees are the natural food plant of the tent cater- 

 pillar, and while some advocate their destruction because they serve 

 as a breeding place for them, others think they may serve a useful 

 purpose in drawing the moths to them where the caterpillars may be 

 easily destroyed the following year. 



