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damage has been done. It is interesting to note that prior to this 
year the insect itself had never been taken by any collector in New 
Jersey, and it is not only new as an injurious insect, but is new to the 
New Jersey fauna, and had heretofore been considered as rather a rare 
insect. Thus much for pear trees, which, up to a few years ago, were 
rather free from insect attack. 
I find that in some localities growers have become tired of washes 
and paints applied to the base of quince and apple trees to prevent the 
entrance of the borer, and instead, use fine wire netting, enveloping not 
less than twice and closely tied, extending below ground and upward 
along the trunk for the distance of at least a foot or eighteen inches. 
This has the advantage of affording complete protection, of yielding 
to the growth of the tree, and of allowing the bark to perform its func- 
tions with absolute freedom. It is effective, certainly, because none of 
the trees that were so protected showed signs of the borer, though all 
others in that vicinity were more or less infested. 
There were no other orchard pests that made themselves especially 
obnoxious, and in fact, in view of the extreme prevalence of the blight 
on both pear and apple trees, insect injury sank almost to insignificance. 
Cutworms have been particularly abundant in New Jersey during 
the present season. All sorts of planted crops have been affected aud 
everywhere complaint was made that replanting was made necessary, 
sometimes twice or even three times, and in a few cases crops were 
abandoned and others put in, simply because the supply of plants was 
not sufficient to obtain a stand after feeding the cutworms. Acres 
upon acres of sweet potatoes were cut; early cabbage was ruined in 
some sections; melons were cut off as fast as they came above ground; 
so was corn, and, in fact, there was a universal wail asking for a 
remedy. The poison-bait trap was used with great success in many 
instances; but for some reason the farmers seem to have an objection 
to using it at the proper time. One of the sweet-potato growers near 
Beverly, X. J., made some experiments on his own account, and among 
other things prepared a mixture of bran and Paris green, using no defi- 
nite proportion, but adding Paris green enough to the bran to give it 
a greenish tinge when thoroughly mixed. This mixing was done dry. 
aud then water enough was added so that the mixture would stick 
together and form a rather dry mush. Of this mixture about a spoon- 
ful was applied to every hill of sweet potatoes at the base of the plants, 
aud in every instance this mixture was preferred to the plants them- 
selves and served as an absolute protection to the crop. Mr. Oliver 
Parry, who was the originator of this material, gave me the informa- 
tion at the time, and I immediately published it in the Weather Crop 
Bulletin. Many of the farmers tried it at once and I have responses 
from a number who found it to be absolutely successful. There seems to 
be a peculiar attraction in moist bran to the cut worms, and they will eat 
it in preference to the vegetation. That it actually killed the insects 
