﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I9OO 
  955 
  

  

  due 
  to 
  the 
  commissioners 
  of 
  fisheries, 
  game 
  and 
  forests 
  for 
  courtesies 
  

   extended 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  investigations 
  on 
  aquatic 
  insects 
  and 
  to 
  

   Dr 
  B. 
  E. 
  Fernow, 
  dean 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  college 
  of 
  forestry, 
  for 
  aid 
  in 
  collecting 
  

   insects 
  at 
  Axton. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  pleasure 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  the 
  continued 
  support 
  and 
  encourage- 
  

   ment 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  regents 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year. 
  The 
  work 
  has 
  neces- 
  

   sarily 
  been 
  hampered 
  by 
  limited 
  office 
  room, 
  but 
  the 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  

   better 
  appointed 
  quarters, 
  soon 
  to 
  be 
  ready, 
  will 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  

  

  of 
  hindrances. 
  

  

  Respectfully 
  submitted, 
  

  

  Ephraim 
  Porter 
  Felt 
  

  

  State 
  entomologist 
  

  

  INJURIOUS 
  INSECTS 
  

   Porthetria 
  dispar 
  Linn. 
  

  

  GIPSY 
  MOTH 
  

  

  Ord. 
  Lepidoptera 
  : 
  Fam. 
  Bombycidae 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  has 
  attracted 
  more 
  attention 
  in 
  America 
  in 
  all 
  probabiHty 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  imported 
  insect 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  notorious 
  

   San 
  Jose, 
  or 
  pernicious 
  scale. 
  This 
  is 
  somewhat 
  remarkable 
  considering 
  

   its 
  restricted 
  range 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  and 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  surprising 
  when 
  

   due 
  credit 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  scientists 
  charged 
  with 
  safeguarding 
  the 
  interests 
  

   of 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  in 
  enormous 
  numbers 
  at 
  

   Medford 
  (Mass.) 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  Dr 
  C.H. 
  Fernald 
  in 
  1889, 
  

   and 
  a 
  special 
  bulletin 
  calling 
  attention 
  to 
  this 
  dangerous 
  pest 
  was 
  

   issued 
  by 
  the 
  agricultural 
  experiment 
  station 
  at 
  Amherst 
  (Mass.) 
  in 
  

   November 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  situation 
  convinced 
  Dr 
  Fernald 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  possible 
  but 
  practicable 
  to 
  attempt 
  the 
  extermination 
  

   of 
  this 
  species. 
  The 
  past 
  decade 
  has 
  witnessed 
  a 
  wonderful 
  struggle 
  

   between 
  man 
  and 
  nature, 
  and, 
  had 
  the 
  work 
  received 
  the 
  support 
  it 
  

   should, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  the 
  outcome 
  would 
  have 
  been. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  occasion 
  for 
  alarm 
  at 
  present. 
  This 
  pest 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  

   within 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  state 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  the 
  

   commonwealth 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  has 
  not 
  only 
  declined 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  

   toward 
  exterminating 
  the 
  pest 
  but 
  puts 
  no 
  efficient 
  checks 
  on 
  its 
  dis- 
  

   tribution, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  insect 
  will 
  occasion 
  us 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  trouble 
  it 
  has 
  caused 
  in 
  the 
  neighboring 
  state. 
  It 
  is 
  impossi- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  say 
  just 
  when 
  this 
  insect 
  will 
  succeed 
  in 
  establishing 
  itself 
  in 
  New 
  

  

  