586 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



yielded more in value than an equal area of potatoes, and at much less 

 expense. The grafting of an improved variety on native stock renders it 

 easy in a few years to transform worthless trees to valuable fruit producers. 

 The most serious drawbacks are stated to be underbrush, injury by insects 

 and thieves. 



Injury by chestnut weevil. The amount of damage this insect causes 



varies with the season and the locality. The following facts published by 



Dr Lintner give an idea of the damage caused by the insects : 



Mr R. C. Hewson, Penn Yan N. Y. estimates the annual loss of native 

 nuts in that vicinity at from 5 to 10% of the crop. This appears to be 

 rather a conservative estimate, since in Massachusetts as high as 40/0 of the 

 chestnuts in certain seasons are injured by these weevils. Sometimes in 

 New Jersey 50$ of the Japanese and Spanish varieties are ruined, and Dr 

 Smith cites an instance in which the crop was almost entirely destroyed at 

 the Parry Brothers nursery. The loss in Maryland ranges from 10 to 25^, 

 in Delaware from 30 to 40$, and in North Carolina from 10 to 50, possibly 

 averaging about 20%. From 5 to 25^ of the few native nuts in Michigan 

 are injured by the weevils. 



Species attacking chestnuts. There are at least two species which 

 injure chestnuts in this country. 



The large chestnut weevil, Balaninus proboscideus Fabr. may 

 be distinguished from other American species of this genus, as stated by 

 Dr Horn, by the first joint of the antennae being shorter than the second. 

 It is a beautiful variegated insect with fuscous lines and spots interspersed 

 among the dense ocherous scales on the thorax and wing covers. Some 

 examples of this species are entirely ocherous. The beak of the female is 

 very long, and ranges from 1 ^ to twice the length of the body. The 

 distribution of this species has been given by Dr Lintner as follows : 

 Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, North 

 Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Middle States westward. 

 Other localities are recorded by McCarthy for chestnut weevils, but the 

 species are not indicated. 



The smaller 'chestnut weevil, Balaninus rectus Say, has a wider 

 recorded distribution, as follows : Canada, Massachusetts, New York, New 



1 



