. 12 



tucket, which did not furnish information on this question. 

 Norfolk County seems to have suffered the least, with only 3 

 reports of damage done. Strawberries were most affected by 

 frosts, with 60 reports of injury and several of total loss of 

 crop. Apples, peaches and plums suffered also, and in many 

 sections of Worcester and counties westward considerable 

 damage appears to have been done. 



Insects. 

 Of all insects reported as doing damage the tent caterpillar 

 by far exceeds all others in numbers. The season of 1912 

 and the mild winter following seem to have been peculiarly 

 favorable to the multiplication and preservation of this pest, 

 while the warm spring insured early incubation and an abun- 

 dance of food. It is high time that concerted effort was 

 made by towns and individuals in ridding the country of 

 this foe. The fact that the caterpillar prefers the wild cherry 

 to all other food plants suggests the first step, — clear up all 

 cherries. Then cut all wild and worthless apple trees, and 

 spray the rest. Only 11 correspondents do not mention the 

 tent caterpillar. Thirty-six, of whom 26 are in Hampden, 

 Worcester, Bristol and Plymouth counties, report damage by 

 cutworms, while 35, confined chiefly to the counties of 

 Worcester, Middlesex and Essex, report brown-tail moths to 

 be active. Other insects mentioned, in order of greatest fre- 

 quency, are gypsy moth, currant worm, elm-leaf beetle, June 

 bug larvae, codling moth, bud moth, and single reports of 

 others. 



Planting. 



The composite of the reports of percentage of planting 

 done by May 24 is: E"antucket, 85 ; Dukes, 70 ; Bristol, 63.3 ; 

 Barnstable, 60.6; Plymouth, 59.7; Berkshire, 59.7; Essex, 

 53.5; Franklin, 52.7; :N'orfolk, 48.7; Middlesex, 47.3; 

 Worcester, 44.4; Hampshire, 43.2; Hampden, 34.5; the 

 State, 51. As compared with the average amount of plant- 

 ing done by May 24, 18 correspondents, or 13 per cent, report 

 above; 69, or 48 per cent, report the average; 55, or 39 per 

 cent, report below; from which it appears that of those re- 



