NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 8/ 



at the base of the catkins. The galls ranged in diameter from one- 

 half to three-fourths of an inch and were mostly oval in shape. 

 There was no orifice or marked discoloration to attract notice. As 

 the leaves had been out for only a comparatively short time, it is 

 probable that the infestation occurred in the bud and that subse- 

 quent developments were comparatively rapid. A gall broken open 

 was found to have the interior literally lined with young gall aphids. 



Specimens received June 19th from Dr J. Burton Meeker, 

 Chelsea-on-Hudson, were very badly infested, in some cases prac- 

 tically the entire leaf had been transformed into abnormal gall 

 tissues. Doctor Meeker stated that the tree was literally covered 

 with the galls. The probabilities favor serious damage to the 

 hickory in this particular case. 



Ordinarily the large size of the host tree and its general occur- 

 rence in fields where ornamental values are relatively low make it 

 unadvisable to recommend remedial measures on account of the 

 relatively great expense. 



Hickory Insects 



The hickory is one of the more valuable forest trees which has 

 unfortunately suffered very seriously in recent years from insect 

 attack, particularly from the work of the hickory bark beetle, 

 Eccoptogaster quadrispinosa Say. Many thousands 

 of trees have been killed in New York State by this pernicious 

 insect though it should not be forgotten that climatic conditions, 

 particularly extended droughts and the consequent reduced vitality 

 of the trees may have had an important influence in bringing about 

 conditions favorable for a development of this bark borer. 



Aside from this insect there are a considerable number of other 

 borers occurring in this tree and the following notes relate to some 

 of the more common observed during recent years. They are 

 placed on record in order to more clearly establish the economic 

 relationships of the various species, something of importance in 

 dealing with all insect pests. 



Rustic borer Xylotrec^hus colonus Fabr.) . The 

 parent beetle is blackish, variegated with yellowish or slate-white 

 markings and ranges in length from a little less to a little over 

 one-half of an inch. It occasionally appears in great numbers, 

 since in 1903 over 600 beetles were reared from two sections of a 

 hickory tree some 15 inches in diameter, the larvae making very 

 irregular, shallow galleries one-fourth to one-eighth of an inch in 



