286 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



Meciran bean beetle. — Inve^ti^tioos on the Mexican bean beetle have been contin- 

 ued in the southeastorn United States, jmncipally in Alal)aina. the work being spe- 

 cially devoted to control methods. Arsenicale of all tvpes have l^een tested and will 

 l>e continued in cooperation with entomologists of all infested States in relation to 

 injury to l)ein plants and to the destruction of the insect. Biologic studies liave been 

 continued, a proinisiiit; tachinid parasite has been imported from Mexico, and efforts 

 are bein;; ma<k' to colonize it during the next year. The beetle, first reported in 

 Alai)ama in 1;»20. has since invaded Georgia, Tennessee. Kentucky. Virginia, and the 

 Carolinas. and. at the present rate of spread, will soon reach Indiana. Ohio, and West 

 \'irginia, and probably Mississippi. ])esided increasing its range in all of the States 

 first mentioned. In the Kstancia Valley of New Mexico the ravages of this beetle are 

 enormous and growers are asking the department 's aid. 



Gi/)-iij moth and brotm-tail moth. — At the beginning of the fiscal year the work was 

 resumed with an a])pr<»priation of $400,000, while $500,000 was really needed to 



Srojierly carrv out the bureau s program of restricting the spread of the gipsy moth in 

 ew Kngland and to follow u]) the exterminative measures inaugurated in the large 

 infested area in New Jersey, as well as treatment of small colonies in New York State. 

 When additional funds became available on May 11, the work was at once enlarged 

 and vigorously j)rosecut('(l. though the results were seriously interfered with by the 

 abnormal heavy rainfall during June. A colony of gipsy moths found at Greenport, 

 lx)ng Island, and a small colony at Patchogue, Long Island, were carefully treatetl 

 and sprayed. Five small colonies in other localities in New York were carefully 

 inspected and treated and no infestation was discovered this year. It is therefore 

 believed that the in.sect has been exterminated in these colonies. The nine isolated 

 colonies in New Jersey ai)pear to have been eradicated as no infestation has been found 

 in any of them. These areas will be rescouted another season and treated if infesta- 

 tion develojjs. The Somerville (N. J.) infestation was thoroughly scouted by lat* 

 spring, though insufficient funds made i# impossible to accomplish the amount of 

 cutting work desirable on several river bottom areas. While a large amount of spraying 

 was done in New Jersey it proved less effective on account of almost continuous and 

 heavy rains during May and June. The work, however, resulted in a sharp decrease 

 in the number of caterpillars over the previous summer, and in no place in the State 

 was there any serious ciefoliation by the gh^sy moth. No trace of the insect has been 

 found in the area jjreviously infested in Pennsylvania. 



()n July 1, 1922. the Federal Horticultural Board placed under quarantine for the 

 giix^y moth additional areas in New England, representing a total of 3,C45 square miles; 

 on the other hand, several towns were released from quarantine as no infestation was 

 found at the time they were examined. 



Some scouting has been done along the border of the brown-tail moth infestation, 

 and as a result of this work a heavy decrease in infested areas during the year has been 

 noted. Two tiiou.sand, three hundred and forty-two square miles have been released 

 from quarantine, including areas in Maine, \'ew Hampshire, Massachusetts, and 

 Rho<ie Island. 



The parasite investigations have l)een enlarged by the dispatch of one expert 

 assistant to Ja|)an and one to Kiir()i)e. These men wili make a careful study of gipsy- 

 moth comlit ions in th('se countries and ship parasites and other natural enemies to 

 Americ"a. It is hojx'd that information may be obtained as to the causes of the tluctu- 

 ation of the insect in its original homes, which knowledge may be hel])ful to us. The 

 parasites and other natural enemies of the gipsv moth and brown-tail moth already 

 eBtal)liHhed in New Kngland are being found in large numbers in some localities. 

 Uolonization work has been contiinied ami areas in all infested States received ])lant- 

 '\n\p^ of parasites where thcne did not occur there before. The temi)erature during the 

 wint<'r was extremely low in many sections of New Englaml. resulting in the failure 

 to hatch of many egg dusters of the gii>sy moth. Defoliation therefore has been 

 less than in previous years, particularly in the localities where the egg clusters were 

 laiil high on the trees and not protected (hiring the winter by snow or ice, 



OTHER INVKSTIOATIONM. 



In addition lo ih*- main pests nuntioned al o\e, notable jirogiess has been ma<le in 

 the «-ttnn»aign for the suppression of th«' |)liim cnrculio in the iieorgia ]>each belt and 

 also in North Carolina, The u.se of paradichlombenzene for the control of tlH> peach 

 borer has become (piite general among coniniercial peach orchardisis and has resulted 

 in larv'e sa\ inu't* in the co.m oi control of this insetl. .Manv practical points have been 

 discovered in ili<. work on the codling nioth in the Pacilic Northwest, A new sjirav 

 has lnH-M developed for the San Jo.se scale winch is t'.xjieciallv applicabh- in the Ozark 

 n»sfion of Missouri and Arkansas as well as in southern Illinois ami Indiana, This 





