﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I912 
  37 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  Entomologist's 
  report. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  pear 
  midge 
  was 
  

   investigated 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  desirable 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  

   and 
  its 
  work 
  secured. 
  

  

  Gipsy 
  moth. 
  The 
  danger 
  of 
  injury 
  by 
  this 
  notorious 
  pest 
  was 
  

   emphasized 
  by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  colony, 
  practically 
  re- 
  

   stricted 
  to 
  a 
  city 
  block, 
  at 
  Geneva. 
  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  lo- 
  

   cality 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  infestation 
  was 
  probably 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   years' 
  standing. 
  The 
  chances 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  fair 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  

   was 
  introduced 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  with 
  nursery 
  stock, 
  though 
  no 
  un- 
  

   doubted 
  evidence 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  infestation 
  has 
  been 
  ad- 
  

   duced. 
  The 
  discovery 
  of 
  similar 
  colonies 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time. 
  For 
  a 
  period 
  at 
  least, 
  no 
  effort 
  should 
  be 
  spared 
  

   to 
  exterminate 
  such 
  outlying 
  infestations, 
  since 
  this 
  policy 
  is 
  

   much 
  cheaper 
  and 
  decidedly 
  more 
  advantageous 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  

   welfare 
  than 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  repressive 
  measures 
  with 
  the 
  inev- 
  

   itable 
  slow 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  and 
  the 
  greatly 
  increased 
  cost 
  of 
  

   controlling 
  the 
  pest 
  incident 
  to 
  its 
  being 
  distributed 
  over 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  area. 
  Such 
  measures 
  are 
  also 
  advisable, 
  since 
  checking 
  

   the 
  normal 
  spread 
  is 
  most 
  advantageous 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   introduced 
  parasites, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  enactment 
  by 
  Congress 
  of 
  a 
  national 
  plant 
  quaran- 
  

   tine 
  act, 
  recommended 
  by 
  the 
  Entomologist 
  and 
  his 
  associates 
  in 
  

   other 
  states, 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  step 
  in 
  advance 
  and 
  should 
  prove 
  of 
  

   great 
  service 
  in 
  restricting 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  injurious 
  

   insects 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  preventing 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  dangerous 
  pests. 
  

  

  Brown-tail 
  moth. 
  This 
  species 
  has 
  attracted 
  comparatively 
  

   little 
  attention 
  the 
  past 
  season, 
  though 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  having 
  be- 
  

   come 
  established 
  in 
  the 
  northwestern 
  corner 
  of 
  Massachusetts, 
  

   it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  time 
  before 
  it 
  will 
  make 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  this 
  

   State. 
  The 
  danger 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  being 
  introduced 
  on 
  nursery 
  

   stock 
  grown 
  in 
  infested 
  sections 
  still 
  exists 
  and 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  

   overlooked 
  simply 
  because 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  contiguous 
  

   to 
  infested 
  territory. 
  The 
  winter 
  nests 
  are 
  so 
  characteristic 
  that 
  

   there 
  should 
  be 
  little 
  difficulty 
  in 
  identifying 
  the 
  insect 
  and 
  at 
  

   the 
  outset 
  prevent 
  its 
  becoming 
  excessively 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Grass 
  and 
  grain 
  pests. 
  White 
  grubs 
  have 
  been 
  extremely 
  num- 
  

   erous 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  Albany, 
  Columbia 
  and 
  Rensselaer 
  counties, 
  

   at 
  least. 
  They 
  were 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  as 
  practically 
  ta 
  

  

  