THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Entomological Legislation, with re- 

 spect to the locust plague in the West, like 

 the German insect laws (" Abraupgeset- 

 ze ") has been to a considerable extent 

 beneficial, though it is often difficult to en- 

 force the execution of such laws. There 

 are strong reasons why we should have a 

 set of insect laws for all the States. They 

 would be as beneficial and as easily en- 

 forced as " the game laws," and those pro- 

 hibiting the harboring of certain noxious 

 plants or of nuisances against which Boards 

 of Health are organized. Only by some 

 such arrangement can farmers be com- 

 pelled to cooperate for their own interests 

 and successfully combat the thieves which 

 are robbing them of their produce, for 

 there are plenty whose sense of obligation 

 can only be aroused through government 

 influence. Who will be the first to move in 

 this project and see its execution ? — W. S. B. 



Entomological Work at the De- 

 partment OF Agriculture. — The ap- 

 propriation of $5,000 to the Department 

 of Agriculture for field work and experi- 

 ment in the Entomological Division, which 

 appropriation we inaugurated two years 

 ago to add efficiency to that Division, was 

 continued by the late Congress. We un- 

 derstand that Prof. Comstock Avill vigor- 

 ously prosecute the present year the special 

 study of insects affecting the Orange. He 

 is now in California making observations 

 on the pests of the orchard generally, but 

 especially on those of the Orange. The 

 subject is one of great interest and im- 

 portance to orange cultivators, and special 

 attention to it cannot fail to produce 

 beneficial results. 



Effect of Frost on Grubs. — An idea 

 being prevalent that " cold kills the grubs," 

 I took the opportunity whilst the great 

 cold lasted of examining the state of all 

 larvai and pupas I could find fully exposed 

 to its influence, whether unsheltered, under 

 bark, or in frozen ground, and found that 

 in all cases, even where the earth was frozen 

 so hard that the mass had to be broken up 

 with a hammer, and the larvae or pupje 



were perfectly rigid, that on thawing they 

 did not appear to be in any way injured ; 

 and in the case of the larvae of the Cab- 

 bage Weevil (which was the only instance 

 in which any immediate action was to be 

 expected), they continued the operation of 

 making their earth-cases for pupation (as 

 is usual with this grub on disturbance from 

 the gall) as if nothing had happened. In 

 other respects, the extreme severity of the 

 winter was favorable to insect preservation, 

 as large numbers were secured from bird 

 attack under the snow or in the frost-bound 

 ground ; and also the excessive cold 

 caused an almost unprecedented mor- 

 tality amongst the birds ; this was especi- 

 ally noted amongst the Turdidce and Star- 

 lings. The cold and wet spring subse- 

 quently retarded the nesting season, and 

 further diminished the ordinary amount 

 by the great numbers of eggs that were 

 addled. The general returns do not show 

 that any kind of injurious insect has been 

 lessened in amount by the winter cold, ex- 

 cepting, possibly, the Turnip fly. This 

 has been little prevalent, but, conjecturally, 

 this is rather owing to the failure of the 

 Turnip crops than direct weather influence, 

 as noted in the return : " No Turnips, 

 therefore no fly." — Miss Ormerod in Re- 

 ports on Injurious Insects (England). 



Destroying Codling Moth. — Prof. A. 

 J. Cook, thus closes a recapitulation in the 

 New York Tribune of the facts already 

 published regarding this insect : 



The Michigan Pomological Society, with char- 

 acteristic enterprise, has offered two pjrizes of $50 

 and $25, to be awarded to the society or neigh- 

 borhood tliat shall work the most wisely and 

 efficiently in destroying these insects the coming 

 season. Cellars and other buildings where 

 apples have been stored the past autumn and 

 winter should be closed against all egress of the 

 moths during Maj' and June. Fine wire gauze 

 at the windows will accomplish this and still 

 afford ventilation. 



It is claimed by Mr. J. S. Woodward and 

 others, of western New York, that an applica- 

 tion of Paris green or London purple, mixed 

 with water, at the rate of one pound of the 

 poison to 100 gallons of water, is sure destruc- 

 tion to these insects, if applied the last of May. 

 The apples are then small, with the blossom end 

 up, and, it is claimed that enough of the poison 

 lodges on and about the calyx to kill the newly- 

 hatched "worm," as it begins its tunnel. I 

 know nothing personally of this remedy, and 



