38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



kill the grass over areas half an acre or more in extent. The 

 roots were almost entirely destroyed and in many fields much of 

 the sod was, as a consequence, torn loose where a horse rake was 

 used. The outbreak was taken advantage of by the Entomol- 

 ogist to study in representative spots, the work of the grubs, 

 their habits and natural enemies, with special reference to meth- 

 ods of control. A detailed account of his investigations is given 

 elsewhere. 



The Hessian Hy caused serious losses in- the wheat-growing sec- 

 tion of western New York, destroying entire fields and, in many 

 cases, reducing the yield by 50 per cent. An investigation of the 

 injury was made for the purpose of ascertaining any peculiarities 

 in its inception and determining the probabilities of serious dam- 

 age another year. . A number of parasites were reared from in- 

 fested wheat stems collected in representative areas. An ex- 

 tended discussion of this insect is given in the Entomologist's 

 report. 



The fall army worm, another grass and grain pest, was exces- 

 sively abundant in the vicinity of New York City, seriously in- 

 juring lawns, destroying millet and corn and feeding upon a vari- 

 ety of grasses. This outbreak w^as also investigated and a de- 

 tailed account of the insect has been prepared. 



Shade tree pests. The widespread and severe injuries of earlier 

 years by the elm leaf beetle in the Hudson valley in partic- 

 ular, amply justified extended observations the past season. It 

 -was found that the exceptional damage in 191 1 resulted in a 

 •feeble growth and weakened trees the past season. The early 

 -portion of the spring was unusually cool and moist and largely, 

 .as' a result of these conditions, it is believed that injury by this 

 pest was not so severe as last year. There was a marked irreg- 

 ■ularity in the work of the beetle, some trees in a locality and in 

 certain cases some localities being almost exempt from injury, 

 while in others the damage was relatively severe. A portion of 

 this may be explained, possibly by more thorough spraying. Ex- 

 periments were conducted with sweetened and unmodified ar- 

 senate of lead for the purpose of ascertaining if any material 

 advantage was to be gained by the addition of a cheap sugar or 

 molasses. There was no marked difference between the two 

 series of tests and the earlier work with poisons was confirmed 

 in large measure. 



