ENTOMOLOGY 295 



the same method of control would have to be followed. The trees 

 should be sprayed early while the caterpillars are small, as the 

 poison will be much more effective then. 



As we have already noted, the caterpillars have the habit of 

 suddenly dropping to the ground in great numbers when the trees 

 are jarred. On small trees, hundreds of the caterpillars may be 

 jarred on to sheets and then destroyed. Unfortunately, the young 

 larvae are not so susceptible to this kind of treatment, and if one 

 waits until they become large much of the damage will already 

 have been done. 



The masses of eggs are very conspicuous objects and could 

 easily be found on the branches and scraped off. In the case of 

 small trees much good could be accomplished in this manner. On 

 large trees it would be more difficult to collect the eggs. 



In forests there seems no practicable way of controlling this 

 pest. In case of the particular forest area mentioned at Cooks 

 Falls, the wood is being grown for the manufacture of certain wood 

 chemicals. In this instance it may be best to cut off the present 

 growth of timber and use it for the distillation products before it 

 dies as a result of the annual defoliation to which it has been subject 

 for the past two years. (Bui. 286, Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta.) 



The Catalpa Bud Gnat. During the early summer, the tender 

 growing tips of the catalpa become swollen and in time blacken at 

 the point of injury. During the early part of the season the injury 

 is usually found 3 or 4 inches below the tip, and at a lesser distance 

 during late summer when the tree is growing less rapidly. The tip 

 above the injury dies. Following the death of the tip in early 

 summer, the next node below develops one or more branches and fre- 

 quently a cluster of leaves, giving the tree a bushy growth. The ulti- 

 mate result after continued topping is a stunted, crooked, forked 

 growth. 



If one of the injured twigs is examined by being cut open, 

 small, footless, yellow or white larvae will be found. If one of these 

 is placed on a smooth surface, it has the power to jump several 

 inches in the air. This is accomplished by raising both ends of the 

 body so that they almost meet above, and then with a sudden motion 

 straightening out. The pupal stage is probably passed under the 

 surface of the soil, as the author was unable to secure adults by 

 placing twigs infested with the larva in cages that did not contain 

 moist soil. With so little understood concerning the pest it is diffi- 

 cult to plan remedial measures. It has been suggested that cutting 

 the infested twigs and destroying them would be of value during 

 the summer. 



The Elm Leaf Beetle. The elm leaf beetle is well distributed 

 in the eastern states, and now annually ruins great numbers of 

 shade trees. The green and black striped beetles, not over % inch 

 in length, pass the winter in the adult stage in some sheltered place. 

 With the coming of spring they leave their shelters and begin feed- 

 ing upon foliage of the elm. Soon the eggs are deposited on the 

 under sides of the leaves and within a few days the larva: appear. 



