REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 1920-21 35 



rule. It is very probable that there will be material modifications 

 of the quarantine in the near future. 



It has proved impossible to continue the careful field work of 

 1920 in the Scotia area, since the special appropriation of 1920 was 

 not supplemented by an item the following year. The corn borer 

 is a real menace to the agricultural interests of the country and 

 consequently the State of New York should keep in close touch 

 with all developments in order more intelligently to safeguard its 

 own interests. 



A detailed account of the European corn borer in New York State 

 and a discussion of control measures will be found in the 

 Entomologist's report. 



Other corn insects. The late summer and fall of 192 1 was marked 

 by an unprecedented outbreak of the corn ear worm, a southern 

 species rarely attracting more than local notice in most of New York 

 State. The varicolored caterpillars, about i| inches long when full 

 grown, work in the ears, especially near the tips, and in the case 

 of sweet corn only a little injury suffices to render it unmarketable. 

 The pests were reported in greater or less numbers from practically 

 all counties, most of the injury being in the central and western 

 parts of the State, particularly in Madison county. The loss was 

 greatest on sweet corn, in some instances approaching a considerable 

 proportion of the crop, though field corn and pop corn did not escape 

 damage and in at least one instance, wax beans were seriously infested. 

 Available data indicate a close relation between this outbreak and 

 the unusually mild winter of 1920-21, and it is believed that natural 

 agencies will prevent a repetition of these losses the coming season. 



The lined corn borer, which attracted so much attention in 19 19, 

 was hardly noticed in 1920, indicating that it is one of the some- 

 what rare insects occasionally very abundant. 



There were a number of complaints of injury by the common 

 stalk borer, due mostly to fears that it might prove to be the much 

 more injurious European corn borer. 



t Grass webworms were relatively nearly as abundant as in 19 19 

 and caused considerable injury here and there in the State. 



The advisability of having at hand literature making it com- 

 paratively easy to distinguish between the various pests affecting 

 corn led the Entomologist to prepare a small folder giving briefly 

 the characteristics of the more common borers likely to be found 

 in corn and grasses in particular. This has been available for 

 distribution to all interested in such pests. 



Small grain insects. The Entomologist's studies of the wheat 



