66 a EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



beds were in this condition and others were more or less affected, 

 while larger trees in blocks also showed considerable infestation. 

 It was noticed that the attack was most severe on the higher 

 parts of the land which, though approximately level, varied six 

 or eight feet perhaps from the lowest to the highest points, and 

 that the soil of these higher portions was lighter and more 

 sandy than on the rest of the area. In many cases a spread 

 from a completely infested bed to those adjoining was evident, 

 the space between being in most cases not over a foot in width. 

 White pine was not the only variety attacked, injury to the red 

 pine, Scotch pine, Juniperus virginiana, blue, Douglass and Nor- 

 way spruce, and even to sugar maple seedlings of the two-leaf 

 age being very evident, and in many cases severe. 



At the time of the first visit the larvae were evidently nearly 

 mature, and most of them pupated within two weeks thereafter. 

 Beetles were appearing by the middle of June, and were at their 

 maximum abundance about the seventh of July. 



The eggs proved very difficult to discover, but a few were 

 observed before the end of July and a few larvae appeared later, 

 but owing to the impossibility of continued field observations 

 after the end of that month the further history of the insect 

 during the season was not followed. The superintendent of the 

 nursery, however, carefully watched for larvae all through the 

 season, but found few. These were in some cases observed late 

 in the fall. 



From the evidence thus far at hand it would seem that in 

 this infestation at least some portion of the larval feeding was in 

 the fall and was resumed in the spring, and also that the adult 

 period of life of the insect extended over several months. It is 

 hoped that if the outbreak is still in progress in 1916 further 

 studies of the life history of the insect can be made. 



At the time of the first visit to the nursery it was evident 

 that pupation would soon take place, and it was, therefore, ad- 

 vised that the beds affected be entirely stripped of all plants 

 and thoroughly cultivated every two or three days, both in 

 order to remove all food from the larvae and to break up the 

 pupal cells formed at pupation. Examination of beds thus 

 treated afterwards showed numerous dead pupae, but also in- 

 dicated that some larvae, at least, pupated lower than a harrow 



