32 



Mr. Felt called attention to the fact that in New York State, when 

 they had been suffering from drought, the pine trees had been very 

 badly attacked by bark-borers. The fruit-tree bark-beetle had also 

 been causing injury in the last two years. He had wondered what 

 the cause of this was. and it appeared that this outbreak apparently 

 began at the close of two or three excessively dry years. There was 

 an excessive drought in July and August in that section in 1896, and 

 the trees suffered considerably. 



Mr. Hopkins stated that he had noticed that it was claimed that 

 much injury had been caused by drought, but that he was a little 

 skeptical as to the effect of drought on large trees. He had examined 

 a number of the spruce trees, some growing on rocks, and others in 

 the lowlands, where there should be an abundance of moisture. 



Mr. Burgess asked Mr. Hopkins if the elms in the woodlands had 

 been much attacked by Saperda tridentata. In Cincinnati, a great 

 many of the elms had been seriously affected, and they were losing a 

 large number of their trees. He desired to know if the injury had 

 been general or not. 



Mr. Hopkins replied that he had not observed this species in the 

 forest elms in West Virginia. 



Mr. Smith stated that, in the case of trees that had been infested by 

 the carpenter worm in the south Jersey pines, he thought that fully 

 nine-tenths of the caterpillars were taken out by woodpeckers. In 

 every tree that is less than 6 inches in diameter, the birds can get at 

 the larva? without trouble. 



Mr. Felt, in reply to Mr. Burgess's question, stated that he had 

 observed the work of Saperda tridentata somewhat extensively in 

 New York, and found it confined to shade trees, and not to forest 

 trees, and in some places he had noted considerable injury. Trees 12 

 to 11 inches in diameter were more commonly injured; in his experi- 

 ence the insect was confined to the American elm. 



The secretary presented the following names for membership in the 

 association: Mr. Percy B. Gregson, Waghorn, Alberta, Northwest 

 Territory; Mr. H. AY. Peal, Indian Museum, Calcutta, both proposed 

 by Dr. Howard; and Prof. Wm. Lochhead, Guelph, Ontario, pro- 

 posed by Dr. Fletcher. Messrs. Peal and Lochhead, being official 

 entomologists, the secretary was directed to add their names to the list 

 of members. On motion. Mr. Gregson was elected to membership. 



Mr. Felt proposed the name of Mr. J. J. Barden, nursery inspector in 

 in the State of New York. Mr. Osborn moved that a committee of 

 three on membership be appointed to consider the application of Mr. 

 Barden and others for membership. The chair announced as this com- 

 mittee Messrs. Osborn, Smith, and Felt. 



