58 



Mr. Maiiatt said, with regard to the necessity for early spraying, 

 that in the previous year in Washington the beetles had appeared in 

 enormous numbers, and had so thoroughly riddled the leaves that the 

 effect was very marked in the appearance of the trees. He was con- 

 vinced that early spraying will be necessary where complete protec- 

 tion of the foliage is aimed at, and at the same time will be the most 

 effective method of stamping out the pest. If spraying be left until 

 the eggs begin to hatch, the damage done by the young larvie before 

 they can be destroyed by the poison, even if they are successfully 

 destroyed in the end, will have a marked effect also in blackening and 

 otherwise injuring the foliage. He pointed out again that the experi- 

 ences detailed in his paper were confined practically to the experiments 

 of the present season, and did not include any of the earlier experi- 

 ments conducted by Professor Eiley. 



Mr. Webster, remarking on the great extension of our knowledge of 

 the distribution of the elm leaf-beetle the present season, and on the 

 fact that he had recently noticed it north of Salem, Mass., said that it 

 indicated to him that Ave are, after all, lacking in accurate knowledge 

 of the distribution of imi)ortant insects. He gave some personal 

 instances further illustrating this idea. 



Mr. Fern aid gave an account of the Amherst experience with the 

 elm leaf-beetle. He said he had reported to Mr, Howard as late as this 

 year that the insect was unknown at Amherst, and in fact it had never 

 been collected in former years by any of his many student collectors or 

 assistants in entomology. Yet the present season, after he had reported 

 its nonoccurrence, he found it in numbers within a short distance of his 

 insectary. He even queried if this might not be a recent juni]^ of the 

 insect, rather than an excessive development after possible presence 

 in small numbers for some years. 



Mr. Smith said that he was inclined to believe tliat the most good 

 would result from early si^raying for the beetles, rather than waiting 

 until the larviie i^ut in an appearance. Ordinarily the leafing of the 

 elms is a little in advance of the appearance of the adult insects in 

 spring, but the present year Avas an unusual one climatically and this 

 condition was reversed, the beetles appearing in advance of the 

 unfolding of the foliage. He described the elm trees at New Bruns- 

 wick and the difficulties attending their treatment on account of their 

 large size; also the trouble experienced as the result of frequent show- 

 ers. He had employed the present year arsenate of lead, using it at 

 the rate of 15 ounces to 80 gallons of water. He had sj)rayed the elm 

 trees on the college campus three times, the last treatment just as the 

 larva? were hatching. This spraying effectually protected the trees 

 treated, the benefit being indicated by the fact that other trees in the 

 neighborhood were very badly injured. He had seen no trace what- 

 ever of a second brood of larvie the present season. He emphasized 

 the importance of keeping the first foliage on the elms, for the reasons 



