146 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



WORK ON THE CODLING MOTH IN THE NORTHWEST. 



Apple culture having become very important in the States of Idaho, 

 Washington, and Oregon, and the codling moth having been acci- 

 dentally introduced into those States, it has become apparent in the 

 last few years that the remedial measures which have been so success- 

 ful against this insect farther east are for some unexplained reason 

 by no means so successful in the far Northwest. Therefore, upon the 

 receipt of petitions from fruit growers from all three of the States 

 mentioned, an investigation was begun in cooperation with the official 

 entomologists of the respective State agricultural experiment stations. 

 An agent of the Division spent the summer of 1900 in Idaho, ascer- 

 tained many important facts, and outlined a course of procedure 

 which if carefully followed will alleviate present conditions. This 

 report will be published in Bulletin No. 30 (new series) of this Division. 

 The same agent took the field again in the early summer of 1901, and 

 the investigation will be followed throughout the season. 



WORK ON THE MEXICAN COTTON-BOLL WEEVIL. 



In the spring of 1898 the work which had been done by the Division 

 in 189G and 1897 against this insect was stopped. The State legisla- 

 ture of Texas made an appropriation providing for a State entomolo- 

 gist, and since a competent man was appointed and furnished with 

 means for investigation, it was considered desirable to devote the 

 funds of the Division to investigations not otherwise provided for. 

 During the winter of 1900-1901, however, it appeared from the reports 

 of the Texas entomologist, Prof. F. W. Mally, that the weevil had 

 spread widely beyond its original range and beyond the limits to 

 which it was supposed it might be confined. The problem, therefore, 

 became one of broad interest, since the insect had already reached 

 within 100 miles of the Louisiana border, and had doubled its north- 

 ward range from the mouth of the Rio Grande. Other cotton States 

 are therefore threatened. Tfie Texas authorities appealed to the 

 Division for cooperation, and Congress made a special appropriation 

 for a thorough investigation of this particular insect by this office. 

 This appropriation did not become available until the beginning of 

 the fiscal year 1901-1902, but the emergency seemed so great that an 

 especially qualified expert was sent into the field in March, 1901, his 

 salary and expenses being paid from the general fund of the Division, 

 and he worked conscientiously and successfully for the remainder of 

 the fiscal year. The investigation will be continued throughout the 

 next fiscal year. 



WORK ON INSECTS INJURING CITRUS TREES AND FRUITS. 



An assistant was stationed in southern California throughout the 

 summer of 1900, as mentioned in the last report, and conducted 

 an extensive series of observations upon insects injurious to the 

 orange, the lemon, and other citrus fruits in that part of the coun- 

 try. His work included not only studies of the insects, but experiments 

 with remedies against the injurious species. The results of this 

 investigation are included in an article entitled "The scale insect and 

 mite enemies of citrus trees" in the Yearbook of the Department for 

 1900. 



OTHER INVESTIGATIONS. 



The work against injurious grasshoppers in the State of Mississippi, 

 mentioned in the last report, was continued through the summer of 



