REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST IOXDO 995 



clusters on it, but this was evidently in excess of the average. At 

 Cooperstown, Otsego county, 300 egg belts were taken from one maple, 

 as reported in the Country gentleman. At Glen, Montgomery co., and 

 Plattsburg, Clinton co., these eggs have been reported by correspondents 

 as occurring in large numbers. The maple and appletrees at Oneonta, 

 Otsego co., were literally loaded with egg clusters, as stated by L. I. 

 Holdredge. It certainly looked as if the widespread defoliations 

 of the previous year were likely to be repeated, specially as similar 

 reports were received from many others. The egg belts of this insect 

 are very resistant to insecticides. Young caterpillars were observed to 

 hatch from a cluster on a twig which had been thoroughly painted with 

 crude petroleum the preceding December. The eggs remained on the 

 tree over winter. Egg clusters dipped in crude petroleum Ap. 9 failed 

 to produce any caterpillars, but such radical treatment is ordinarily out 

 of the question. 



There was a period of unusually cold weather in early May, and 

 at this time a report started from Midddletown, Orange co., to 

 the effect that the young forest tent-caterpillars were killed in 

 large numbers by the severe weather. This was a matter of considerable 

 economic importance; and therefore the voluntary observers were re- 

 quested to make a special report on the effects of the cold on the young 

 forest tent-caterpillars. Reports received from about 30 observers, 

 located in as many counties, stated that, while apparently many of these 

 caterpillars had been killed, in reality they were in a dormant condition, 

 and that during the warm weather following they appeared in numbers 

 and fed most voraciously. At Delhi, Delaware co., F. M. Simpson found 

 considerable numbers dead and was inclined to hold the weather respon- 

 sible for the mortality. Many dead caterpillars were found by J. M. 

 Dolph, Port Jervis, Orange co., and by C. E. Childs, Mayfield, Fulton 

 co. A. J. Meiklejohn, Plattsburg, Clinton co., gave a detailed account 

 of stiffly frozen tent- caterpillars reviving after being brought into a warm 

 room. The cold weather probably killed numbers of the pests in some 

 sections, but in Albany, Chemung, Greene, Saratoga, Seneca, Wyoming 

 and Yates counties their prevalence equaled or surpassed that of the 

 previous season. A remarkable feature about the outbreak, specially in 

 orchards, was the apparent absence of the pests till late in the season, 

 when suddenly they were observed in large numbers and quickly stripped 

 the trees. These pests were not seen in one orchard in East Greenbush 

 till June 3, and by the 6th the thrifty young trees were partly stripped, 

 and the caterpillars were present in enormous numbers, fairly covering 



