Report of the Forest Commission. \ 13 



The Genesee Valley Forestry Association. 



was organized in 1891, for the purpose of arousing public sentiment 

 in western New York upon the subject of forest preservation and the 

 replanting of waste places with timber trees for a future supply ; 

 and to encourage a love for the care and preservation of the trees 

 iu Rochester and its vicinity. To accomplish this the association 

 held meetings for the public discussion of forestry questions, the 

 meetings being held in various villages throughout that locality 

 as well as in the city. The association has been instrumental 

 in securing control of the trees in the streets of Rochester 

 and the care of all the small parks with the park commissioners, 

 who will greatly beautify them. 



But the feature of their work which interested and benefited 

 the public most was the successful means taken to destroy the 

 cocoons of the tussock moth and other insects that were destroy- 

 ing shade trees. Warned by Prof. M. V. Slingerland and several 

 of the entomologists who attended the Rochester meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Gen- 

 esee Valley Forestry Association called attention to the danger 

 which threatened their shade trees, and offered to provide men 

 to spray the trees at a slight expense, but no applications were 

 made for their services. The association then published direc- 

 tions for the destruction of cocoons, and made the following offer 

 to the pupils of the public schools : 



" If you examine the bark of the trees, joints of the fences, 

 and rough places on buildings, you will find cocoons containing 

 eggs, and others containing pupae, of insects that will soon hatch, 

 producing caterpillars that will feed on the foliage of trees. The 

 eggs and the pupse should be destroyed immediately. You can 

 do a good work for the public by gathering these cocoons. 



" "We will offer the following prizes : To the three scholars 

 iu different schools gathering the largest number of cocoons, $5 

 each ; to the three scholars in different schools gathering the 

 next largest number of cocoons, $3 each ; to the three scholars 

 in different schools gathering the next largest number of cocoons, 

 $2 each. Any scholar who shall gather a larger number than 

 was reported last year (44,900) will be paid $10 as a first prize. 



" No rewards will be given for less than 1,000 cocoons. Cocoons 

 must be done up in neat paper packages or boxes, and delivered 

 15 



