96 



that the spread of the insect has been chieflj' along water courses and 

 to a less extent along the main lines of railway. 



The severe injury by the beetle in the larger cities of the Connecti- 

 cut Valley several years ago led to the introduction of municii)al 

 spraying operations. The original methods of work have been im- 

 proved until they are now very effective. The chief reliance is placed 

 upon a thorough spraying with some form of arsenate of lead as soon 

 as the foliage develoiDS. It has been found most practical in large 

 oi^erations to use several powerful hand outfits, carrying two lines of 

 hose, rather than to employ one or two steam outfits. The greater 

 number of outfits permits the thorough treatment of the trees in an 

 entire city as soon as the foliage has developed, and thus the beetle 

 is not permitted to damage the trees in one part of a city while 

 spraying is being carried on in another section. The work of the 

 Springfield city forester, William F. Gale, has been i)articularly well 

 carried out, and has served as a model for similar operations in other 

 municipalities. 



While the beetle, as a rule, has but a single brood throughout the 

 State, a well-defined second brood occurs on Cai^e Cod and a partial 

 second brood in the Connecticut Valley. In neither locality has this 

 latter brood caused damage worthy of note. 



Willows and poplars throughout the State are becoming more and 

 more subject to attack by the imported weevil {Cryptorliynclius 

 Japailii Linn.). This insect seems also to have followed the water 

 courses while spreading through the State, although the transporta- 

 tion of nursery stock is responsible for a large part of its journeyings. 

 Nearly all our nurseries are more or less infested with this Aveevil, 

 whose life history the writer has worked out in detail. Late in the 

 summer, after feeding for some weeks on the iDctioles and young shoots, 

 the beetles drill small holes into the bark beneath leaf scars or other 

 irregularities and in them deposit the eggs singly. The holes are 

 then carefully filled with bark dust. The eggs hatch in a short time, 

 and the young grubs feed in the bark for a few weeks and then enter 

 hibernation. At this time the grubs may be detected easily, as their 

 presence is revealed by the black outlines of their burrows, which are 

 plainly visible on the bark. AVitli the advent of spring the wee^'il 

 enters the sapwood and grows rapidlj^ to maturity. When full grown 

 the grub returns down the burrow, enlarging it to a uniform diameter, 

 then ascends to the upx3er end, prepares a tight chamber, and trans- 

 forms. The beetles commence to emerge in June. There is quite a 

 variation in the time of emergence, those insects breeding in young- 

 shoots emerging first, while those feeding in the older wood appar- 

 ently require a longer time for their development. While the insects 

 as a rule hibernate as young larvae, individuals in all stages of growth 

 are sometimes found in winter in the heartwood of old trees. 



In Germany this weevil is known chiefly as a pest of the basket willow 



