﻿[84] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  in 
  breadth. 
  The 
  wonderful 
  persistence 
  and 
  determination 
  of 
  this 
  worm 
  

   was 
  soon 
  manifest, 
  for 
  w^hile 
  many 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  their 
  attempts 
  

   to 
  storm 
  the 
  works, 
  many 
  succeeded 
  duriug 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  wallowing 
  

   through 
  every 
  obstacle, 
  and 
  again 
  succeeded 
  in 
  reaching 
  the 
  branches. 
  

  

  We 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  for 
  practical 
  effect 
  the 
  work 
  

   must 
  be 
  done 
  when 
  the 
  worms 
  are 
  just 
  hatched 
  out, 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  

   their 
  age 
  of 
  tender 
  existence, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  prey 
  upon 
  the 
  burst- 
  

   ing 
  foliage 
  of 
  early 
  spring. 
  Here 
  we 
  have 
  every 
  worm 
  at 
  our 
  mercy, 
  

   and 
  armed 
  with 
  the 
  proper 
  writ 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  slow 
  in 
  their 
  obedience 
  

   to 
  the 
  unpalatable 
  summons. 
  

  

  While 
  we 
  write 
  the 
  above 
  report, 
  March 
  16, 
  we 
  beg 
  leave 
  to 
  intro- 
  

   duce 
  the 
  additional 
  means 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  these 
  

   pests 
  by 
  preventing 
  the 
  ascent 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  insect 
  to 
  the 
  trees, 
  where 
  

   she 
  deposits 
  her 
  eggs. 
  

  

  The 
  winter, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  remembered, 
  was 
  marked 
  by 
  an 
  unusual 
  snow- 
  

   fall, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  ordinary 
  severity 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  

   December, 
  1878, 
  to 
  March 
  10, 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  covered. 
  The 
  sudden 
  

   approach 
  of 
  warm 
  weather 
  carried 
  off 
  the 
  snow 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  called 
  us 
  

   to 
  action. 
  The 
  drying 
  southwest 
  winds 
  soon 
  brought 
  to 
  life 
  those 
  

   which 
  had 
  escaped 
  into 
  the 
  earth 
  the 
  previous 
  June; 
  but 
  we 
  were 
  

   prepared 
  to 
  meet 
  them. 
  Our 
  trees 
  were 
  carefully 
  scraped 
  about 
  three 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  collar, 
  and 
  a 
  tenacious 
  and 
  plastic 
  coating 
  of 
  treacle 
  and 
  

   boiled 
  oil, 
  with 
  some 
  rosin, 
  mixed 
  and 
  heated 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  all 
  homo- 
  

   geneous, 
  was 
  then 
  brushed 
  on, 
  forming 
  a 
  belt 
  about 
  twelve 
  inches. 
  

   This 
  we 
  watched 
  carefully, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  ground 
  became 
  drier 
  the 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  increased; 
  the 
  large 
  preponderance 
  being 
  males, 
  which 
  perished 
  

   at 
  once 
  on 
  being 
  hopelessly 
  fixed,- 
  while 
  the 
  females, 
  all 
  heavily 
  laden 
  

   with 
  eggs, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  wallowing 
  a 
  few 
  inches, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  

   firmly 
  adhered 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  killed. 
  

  

  The 
  prevailing 
  strong 
  southwesters 
  and 
  westerly 
  winds, 
  with 
  the 
  

   sudden 
  changes 
  in 
  temperature 
  from 
  70^ 
  to 
  22o 
  below 
  the 
  freezing 
  

   point, 
  wrought 
  such 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  our 
  plastic 
  composition 
  

   as 
  to 
  require 
  frequent 
  additions 
  on 
  the 
  windward 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  

   glazing 
  them 
  over 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  many, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  doubt, 
  passed 
  over 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  orchard; 
  while 
  in 
  

   the 
  new 
  but 
  few 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  these 
  all 
  secured. 
  The 
  degree 
  of 
  

   cold 
  which 
  these 
  insects 
  can 
  endure 
  is 
  rather 
  surprising 
  when 
  we 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  the 
  sensitiveness 
  of 
  insect 
  life 
  to 
  the 
  changes 
  of 
  temperature. 
  

   After 
  each 
  of 
  our 
  warm 
  days, 
  when 
  the 
  mercury 
  marked 
  60^ 
  to 
  70°,. 
  

   frost 
  and 
  some 
  ice 
  followed 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  no 
  apparent 
  movement 
  had 
  

   been 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  insects 
  up 
  to 
  8.30 
  p. 
  m., 
  with 
  the 
  mercury 
  at 
  40°, 
  a 
  

   complete 
  cordon 
  of 
  males 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  

   bands, 
  and 
  what 
  few 
  females 
  had 
  ventured 
  out. 
  On 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   day 
  we 
  noticed 
  the 
  wind 
  veering 
  to 
  the 
  northwest, 
  blowing 
  a 
  galo, 
  and 
  

   at 
  6 
  p. 
  m. 
  again 
  recoated 
  the 
  trees 
  ; 
  mercury, 
  at 
  7 
  p. 
  m., 
  45°, 
  falling 
  to- 
  

   10° 
  at 
  6 
  a. 
  m. 
  On 
  examination 
  we 
  found 
  many 
  insects 
  as 
  before, 
  twenty 
  

   males 
  to 
  one 
  female 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  tenacity 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  we 
  

   suffered 
  many 
  to 
  remain 
  during 
  two 
  days 
  of 
  cold 
  freezing 
  weather,, 
  

   with 
  the 
  mercury 
  varying 
  from 
  10° 
  to 
  20° 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  wind 
  strong,, 
  

   northwest, 
  and 
  exposed 
  ; 
  ground 
  again 
  frozen, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  

   light 
  fall 
  of 
  snow. 
  After 
  the 
  second 
  day's 
  exposure, 
  with 
  the 
  mercury 
  

   at 
  10°, 
  we 
  carefully 
  gathered 
  them 
  in, 
  exposed 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  warm 
  rays, 
  

   of 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  a 
  room; 
  when 
  immediate 
  signs 
  of 
  life 
  were 
  shown. 
  All 
  

   came 
  through 
  the 
  ordeal 
  uninjured, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  attemi^ts 
  to 
  crawl 
  off 
  

   were 
  placed 
  between 
  pieces 
  of 
  glass 
  for 
  microscopic 
  observation. 
  The 
  

   pressure 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  caused 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  eggs 
  to 
  exude, 
  every 
  one 
  

  

  