August, '15] 



CURRENT NOTES 



439 



Craighead to the laboratoiy at Hagerstown, Md. ; W. B. CartwTight to the laboratory 

 at Xash^Tlle, Term.; Miss Helen Atwood to the laboratory at Charlottesville, V"a.; 

 Lloyd Cortelyou to the laborator\' at Wellington, Kan.; Miss Sally Hughes to the 

 laboratory.- at Forest Grove, Ore.; and Manning Moody to the laboratory at Charles- 

 ton, Mo. 



A mosquito drainage law was passed by the last session of the Connecticut legis- 

 lature, without appropriation, placing the work in charge of the dii-ector of the State 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, who may approve work done by voluntary- con- 

 tributions. It is hoped that an appropriation will be made by the next legislature. 

 New York State has also enacted laws permitting the counties of Kings, Queens, 

 Richmond, and Bronx to inaugurate mosquito improvement work, the costs and 

 benefits to be determined and certified to the assessors by the boards of health. 

 Attempted mosquito legislation in Massachusetts has failed at the last two sessions 

 of the general assembly. Thus progress along this line comes slowly though surely. 



Mr. E. R. Sasscer, chief inspector of the Federal Horticultural Board, recently 

 conducted some very interesting hydrocyanic-acid gas vacuum fumigation experi- 

 ments with 30 bales of Egj-ptian cotton supplied by various Xew England cotton 

 mills. The results of these tests indicate that the gas penetrates throughout the 

 entire bale, and, in fact, adults of the common bean weevil (Bruchus obtectus Say), 

 adults of the rice weevil {Calandra oryza L.), and larvae of the clothes moths were 

 killed at various points in the bales. This cotton has been returned to the mills, 

 and is now being put through various milling tests in comparison with unfumigated 

 cotton of a similar grade. All fumigated bales have been examined for residual 

 gas, with the result that about five ten-miUionths of a gram could be detected in each 

 bale by the use of a very dehcate test. 



During, the month of ^lay a conference was held at Washington between repre- 

 sentatives of the Bureaus of Animal Industry and of Entomology to discuss the proj- 

 ect relating to the control of the house-fly and other insects in estabhshments operat- 

 ing under the meat inspection act, which was recently approved by the Secretary. 

 Messrs. Bishopp and Laake of the Dallas laboratory attended this conference. Imme- 

 diately thereafter these men, in company with Mr. Shaw, sanitary engineer of the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, visited the meat-packing establishments at Chicago, 

 Kansas City, St. Louis, Forth Worth, and Dallas. ]Many interesting observations 

 were made and a report has been submitted which will be placed in the hands of the 

 inspectors of the Bureau of Animal Industry- for their guidance in preventing the 

 breeding of flies. 



In connection with the Eastern Station of the Bureau of Entomology- at East Falls 

 Church, Va., there has been estabHshed a nursery which contains a number of species 

 of conifers and oaks. The purpose of this nursery is to have immediately available 

 small trees on which to conduct experiments dealing with oviposition, mcubation 

 periods, feeding of young larvae, formation of gaUs, and the possibihty of alternation 

 of hosts of various forest tree insects. The Forest Service has supphed coniferous 

 transplants in 100 lots of 21 different species, representing the following five genera: 

 Picea (3 species) ; Pinus (12 species) ; Abies (3 species) ; Larix (2 species) ; Pseudo- 

 tsuga (1 species) . The oaks, which were secured by purchase, consist of 2 to 3 feet 

 transplants of 10 individuals of each of the following species: Quercus alba, Q. bicolor, 

 Q. coccinea, Q. macrocarpa, Q. velutina, Q. rubra, and Q. palustris. 



Greenhouse insects, including insects affecting ornamental and flowering plants 

 grown in the home, conser^^atory, cold-frames, and in hothouses or greenhouses, 

 have been made the subject of a special project of the Bureau of Entomology to be 



