20 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



1. Insects. 

 Observations were continued and exj)erirnents conduct od with the fruit 

 worm and the fire worm (bhick-headed cranberry worm). Numerous 

 groweis treated tlie yellow-headed cranberry worm (or, as it might be 

 called in Massachusetts, the dry -bog fire worm), under advice given out 

 by the station, apparently with universally satisfactory results. Heavy 

 sanding done ])y various gi'owers, in some cases, jiroved successful 

 against the cranberry girdler. In others it failed to give satisfaction, 

 the failure in every case observed being due to the fact that the sand 

 was not ai)plied evenly over the infested areas. 



The Fruit Worm {Mineola vaccinii (Riley)). — "Work was begun 

 on the natural enemies of this insect, with the following objects in 

 view : — 



1. To find out what these enemies are. 



2. To determine their relative abundance on flowed and dry bogs. 

 Spraying experiments with arsenicals and adhesivos were continued. 



It was learned that too much resin fish-oil soap had been used in 1910. 

 While the spraying was not timed so as to give the best results, the 

 experience of 1911 indicates that the following formula will be 

 found more satisfactory than the one given as the result of the 1910 

 experiments: — 



Resin fisli-oil soap (pounds), ........ 2 



Bordeaux mixture: • — ■ 



(a) Stone lime (pounds), ........ 5 



(ft) Copper sulfate (pounds), ....... 2^4 



Paris green (pound), 1 



Water (gallons), HO 



Much more of the soap than is here recommended causes bad clog- 

 ging of nozzles and pumjjs. 



While the fruit worm injury was reduced about one-third, this gain 

 was largely offset by the loss due to tramping on the vines and berries 

 while spraying, so that the amount of fruit obtained from the sprayed 

 plots was but little greater than that picked from equal areas on the 

 surrounding bog. 



The Fire Worm (Eudemis vacciniana (Pack)). — The season's 

 observations on this insect seem to indicate that the character of the 

 vine growth has a strong influence on the length of the hatching 

 period of the spring brood. Among thin vines most of the eggs 

 seem to hatch within a few days after hatching begins. With deep, 

 dense vines, this pei'iod seems to be so drawn out that numerous eggs 

 are always present throughout the year, the two broods overlapping 

 in this stage. If these observations are correct, the character of the 



