8 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 189. 



of the Board of Agriculture, and Mr. R. H. Allen, State Nursery In- 

 spector. The infested towns were placarded with warning notices illus- 

 trating the insect, and recommending the burning of all cornstalks re- 

 maining from the previous year. This was supplemented by a detailed 

 survey in each of the infested towns and the burning of cornstalks in 

 instances where the owners failed to comply with the recommendations. 

 The States Relations Service of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, through the county agricultural advisers and other agents, aided 

 in this campaign of publicity. 



Control Measures during Autumn of 1918. 



lu October, 1918, an extensive campaign was begun for the eradication 

 of all cornstalks, weeds and crop remnants of the current season which 

 contained the corn borer larva?. This was under a co-operative agreement 

 between the Massachusetts Department of Agiiculture and the Bureau 

 of Entomology, Section of Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations. 

 Crews of men were placed in each of the infested towns, who, under the 

 direction of competent foremen, burned infested material that had not 

 been eliminated by property owners or their representatives. This was 

 preceded by a similar campaign of publicity to that in force during the 

 spring clean-up work, although on a larger scale. Town and State officials 

 aided in this work in some instances by agreeing to destroy the infested 

 plants growing on public projjerty under their jurisdiction, but, owing to 

 the early approach of severe winter weather, it is probable that the clean- 

 up of infested plants will not be completed until the early spring of 1919. 



Quarantine Measures enacted and their Origin. 

 National Quarantine Measures. 



In late July, 1918, it was found that many sweet corn ears e.xposed for 

 sale in the wholesale markets at Boston were infested by larvae and pupae 

 of the European corn borer. This circumstance at once suggested the 

 possibility that these infested products might be shipped outside the area 

 already infested by the insect and become sources of new infestations. 

 As a result of reporting these facts to the Federal Horticultural Board 

 a public hearing was held at Washington, D. C, Aug. 27, 1918, to con- 

 sider a proposed quarantine of that portion of Massachusetts known to 

 be infested by the European corn borer. At this time, however, quar- 

 antine action was deferred in order to await the results of the field con- 

 ference scheduled to be held at Boston, Mass., Sept. 6, 1918, to consider 

 ways and means of handling the problem. 



This conference was attended by entomologists and agricultural au- 

 thorities from all of the New England States," New York and New Jersey, 

 and by officials of the Bureau of Entomology, the Massachusetts Market 

 Gardeners' Association, and the Boston Produce and Fruit Exchange. 



