1912.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 83 



it as to have made little or no growth. This is the first time 

 for several years that this insect has attracted any attention in 

 the State. 



In 1910 the white birches throughout New England were at- 

 tacked by the birch-leaf skeletonizer, Bucculatrix canadensi- 

 sella Chamb., and almost wdthout exception the leaf tissues 

 were entirely consumed. As scrub birch is so abundant every- 

 where in this part of the country much attention was directed 

 to this insect, and many inquiries as to the likelihood of the 

 destruction of the trees were received. During the past fall 

 the insect was again in evidence, but to a less degree, only a 

 small portion of the foliage being destroyed, and as a whole 

 the greatest injury appears to have been in localities where 

 the pest was least abundant last year. 



The cut-leaved birches, so much favored as ornamental trees, 

 have had a different experience. They have suffered equally 

 with the native varieties, but in addition, for the last three 

 years in the Connecticut valley at least, they have also been 

 attacked by the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius Gory, and 

 in nearly every case where this insect has entered a tree the 

 death of the latter has followed, while the native birches have 

 thus far appeared to be exempt. 



The latter .part of May some large chestnut trees in Amherst 

 were reported as dying. An examination showed that they had 

 been nearly girdled close to the ground, and full grown larvse, 

 pup£e, and adults of Leptura zebra Oliv. were found in the 

 burrows. 



For several years the elm-leaf miner, Kaliosyphinga ulml 

 Sund., has been present in considerable abimdance. Last year 

 this insect was less noticeable than in 1909, but during the 

 past summer its work on Camperdown and European elms has 

 been very noticeable. In many cases the parenchyma of all 

 the leaves of the trees has been almost entirely consumed, and 

 the trees have made little or no growi:h. Some facts which 

 have been noted would seem to indicate that there are two 

 generations a year of this sawfly in Massachusetts. 



The work of the maple-leaf stem sa-\vfly, Priophorns aceri- 

 caulis MacGilL, w^as quite noticeable in some parts of the State 



