FOURTH REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I907 ' 79 



The operations of the grape root worm in the Chautauqua region 

 have been observed during the season and, in our judgment, there is 

 a marked improvement over the conditions of earher years. This 

 change is partly due to the higher price of grapes and the conse- 

 quent better care and fertihzation given the vineyards, though it is 

 .probable that natiiral conditions have been of material service in 

 reducing the numbers of this pest. It is still true that this enemy 

 is abundant in limited areas, and danger of serious injury to vine- 

 yards here and there is by no means past. 



Shade tree protection. Continued devastations by several shade 

 tree pests have necessitated the giving of considerable attention to 

 this phase of economic entomology. A bulletin on the zcJiite 

 marked tussock moth and the elm leaf beetle, our two most injurious 

 species, was issued in May and a number of warning articles sent 

 to the press throughout the State. The general result has been 

 highly beneficial and much interest has been aroused. The agitation 

 of earliei years secured the appointment of a forester by the city 

 of Albany. This official was placed in charge of the trees, and the 

 spraying with poison resulted in marked benefit, despite the 

 hindrances incident to work of that character. The city of Troy, 

 through municipal agencies, accomplished considerable along this 

 line. Before very long a number of other cities will be compelled, by 

 the severity of insect depredations, to adopt some protective meas- 

 ures or lose many valuable trees. The experience of the last decade 

 has demonstrated beyond all question the possibility of protecting our 

 trees from injuries by such leaf feeders as the elm leaf beetle and 

 the white marked tussock moth. It is practical to spray the trees 

 so thoroughly that even in localities where the elm leaf beetle and 

 the tussock moth caterpillars are rather abundant, there will be no 

 serious injury to the foliage, and those interested in this work should 

 insist upon the maintenance of such a standard. 



Gipsy and brov^^n tail moths. The work of last year in watch- 

 ing for the appearance of these insects within the borders of New 

 York State, has been continued. Many caterpillars of various 

 species, all native, however, have been sent in by different corre- 

 spondents, some fearing that they had found one or the other of 

 these pests. These fears, we are pleased to state, were groundle«>s 

 and, so far as known to us at the present time, neither of these 

 species has obtained a foothold within our boundaries. 



Several days in June were spent in the New England territory 

 infested by these species, investigating in particular the recently 



