62 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



on the part of every grower if he would avoid serious injury by 

 root worms. 



There is no doubt as to the value of cultivation for the destruc- 

 tion of pupae, and wherever the beetles are at all abundant we would 

 advise as heretofore, that vineyardists plan if possible to have a 

 ridge of firm earth at the base of the vines either in the fall or early 

 spring (preferably the former), and to remove the same with a 

 horse hoe or other implement when the great majority of the in^ 

 sects are in the " turtle " or pupal stage, which is normally from 

 the first to the middle of June. 



This measure may well be supplemented by destroying beetles, 

 either by the employment of a beetle catcher or with an arsenical 

 spray. The use of the former is preferable in all vineyards where 

 the insects are very abundant and especially where the vines are 

 growing vigorously. The latter may be employed with safety 

 wherever the vineyard is not badly infested, and particularly on 

 vines not growing rapidly. The employment of an insecticide is 

 most advisable where the berry moth is at all prevalent, because 

 there is no doubt but that the poison kills over half of these insects, 

 and this benefit should be taken into account when deciding on the 

 method of destroying the beetles. It should be remembered that 

 if poisons are used the application should be most thorough, and it 

 is probable that an outfit capable of developing a high pressure and 

 delivering an extremely fine, mistlike spray would give better re- 

 sults than one where the spray is coarser and consequently does 

 not drift in among the leaves to so great an extent. 



Our observations show that it is much better to fight this insect 

 at the outset and prevent serious injury to a vineyard, rather 

 than to take chances and spend three to five years in getting the 

 vines back into fairly good condition. 



Army worm - , '\ 



Heliophila unipunctata Haw. 

 This species occurred in large numbers in limited areas of Chau- 

 tauqua and Erie counties last July. Mr Eugene Merry of Derby 

 informed us that army worms were quite destructive on 17 acres, 

 largely of oats, in the town of Evans, Erie co. The pests ap- 

 peared July I and were abundant about 10 days. No natural ene- 

 mies were observed. Fortunately the outbreak was not an exten- 

 sive one and so far as we can learn no serious injuries were in- 

 flicted in other sections of the State. 



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