226 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



is sufficiently detrimental to this pest to control it entirely, with- 

 out any other treatment, if it is applied regularly every year 

 and is held until May. The insect got its foothold on the Yar- 

 mouth bog in a season following a winter during which the 

 bog was not flowed. 



By correspondence the writer learned of serious injury on 

 some Long Island bogs due, apparently, to the work of spittle 

 insects, though it seems probable that other causes may have 

 been contributory. The experience of the managers of these 

 bogs indicates that complete reflowing for a day or two, when 

 these insects are at work, will drive them out satisfactorily, and 

 also that contact poisons may be used against them with con- 

 siderable success where water for flowage is not available. 



That the gypsy moth was abundant on bogs in places, espe- 

 cially in North Carver, was shown by the specimens sent in for 

 determination. 



The experimental insect work was confined mostly to the fruit 

 worm and the blackhead cranberry worm (fireworm), though 

 observations on the girdler (" root worm ") were also made. 



The Fruit Worm (Mineola vaccinii (Riley)). 



Investigations concerning the effect of weather conditions at 

 different seasons on fruit worm abundance were started, and 

 the results of this work indicate the possibility of forecasting 

 seasons in which great injury may be expected from this insect. 



Late holding of the winter flowage is the surest method of 

 controlling this insect so far known. The year's observations 

 indicate that it is probably best to hold this flowage late (until 

 May 25) every other year instead of every third or fourth year, 

 as has been heretofore recommended. This is certainly true, 

 if the effects of light and heavy cropping are generally carried 

 over from one season into the next, as indicated by the results 

 obtained on the 1911 bee experiment plot, for the reduction in 

 the crop of one season, caused by the late holding of the water, 

 will be largely made up the following year. This treatment 

 is sure to greatly reduce the fruit-worm injury for the years of 

 early withdrawal as well as for the years of late holding. 

 Moreover, it seems probable that much of the fruit reduction, 

 caused by ordinary late holding of the winter flowage, is really 



