1922.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 51 a 



taken together, probably represented over 100 acres, but no 

 injury by the insect was noted in such replanted fields. 



The second outbreak was that of the corn ear worm 

 (Cliloridea obsolcta Fab.). This insect is usually heard from by 

 two or three inquiries about it each year, nearly always from 

 the southeastern part of the State. Last fall the first report 

 was received September 13 from Greenfield, and from then 

 until November 7 letters about it came in large numbers. 

 From the inquiries received, it was present, generally very 

 abundant, in all parts of the State except Berkshire County, 

 where only four locations were learned of, these being one in 

 West Stockbridge, two in Pittsfield and one in Williamstown. 

 It was probably present elsewhere in the county also. 



Sweet corn suffered most from this pest, particularly the 

 yellow types, though ensilage, field and pop corn were also 

 attacked. Flint corn was only slightly injured. In some 

 cases a 95 to 100 per cent loss was reported. One case of 

 injury to geraniums was also met with. Through the co- 

 operation of county farm bureau agents, reports of the general, 

 and in many cases the detailed, conditions in the dift'erent 

 counties were received, indicating a very general and serious 

 degree of injury. At the Experiment Station living active 

 larvae of nearly all ages were found on November 5, but ten 

 days later, after two slight snowstorms and the accompanying 

 cold weather, no living, but numerous dead larvae, were present. 

 Apparently those which had not gone into the ground before 

 this time could not survive this cold weather, and the mortality 

 must have been large. 



The striped cucumber beetle was unusually abundant last 

 spring, while the common apple aphids, seemingly because of 

 two heavy frosts just after most of them had hatched, were so 

 reduced in abundance in many parts of the State that nicotine 

 sulfate was omitted from the delayed dormant spray by a 

 number of orchardists without any injury by the aphids re- 

 sulting. A case of mole crickets feeding on potatoes was re- 

 ported in September. This insect is seldom observed doing 

 injury in Massachusetts. The birch-leaf skeletonizer, after 

 having been practically absent for about ten years, reappeared 

 abundantly enough to be noticeable in the eastern part of the 

 State, but no more than usual west of Worcester. 



