Annual Beportfor 1889 of the Consulting Entomologist. 177 
orchard trees in most of our chief fruit-growing counties, some of 
the chief orchard growers in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire 
held at the end of February 1890 a special conference at Evesham 
to consider what concerted preventive measures could be taken. 
At their desire I am in communication and co-operation with 
them, and am placing in their hands the best information attainable, 
both as to the nature and habits of the most injurious kinds of 
caterpillars and the methods of preventive treatment which have 
been found to answer best. 
But in this country little advance has as yet been made beyond 
" grease-banding," which certainly does prevent much of the infes- 
tation so far as it is caused by looper caterpillars of the wingless 
moths ; but it is a tedious process, requiring to be yearly repeated, 
and is injurious to the trees unless much care is taken to protect 
the bark. Also, whilst it is not wholly efficacious, even in prevent- 
ing attack of loopers (that is, of the caterpillars of the winter moth 
and its allies), it is wholly useless in preventing attack of the many 
kinds of moths which come on the wing to lay eggs on the trees. 
It is a perfect impossibility that all the attacks caused by these 
different kinds of moths can be prevented by destroying them in 
chrysalis state, as this would require a search literally everywhere — 
on the surface of the ground and just below it — on the bark of the 
trees, on hedges, walls, palings, in sheds, etc., and this at different 
seasons of the year. 
Insectivorous birds would help, but, as many are mixed feeders, 
if these are (as is often suggested) greatly increased in numbers they 
will be very apt to do more harm than good by supplying deficiencies 
of diet from the tree buds. 
What we want, therefore, I believe, are measures (such as 
have been used successfully now for years in the United States and 
Canada) which can be brought to bear at once on the trees when 
the caterpillar pests of all the different kinds are ravaging together, 
and which will sweep them off at very moderate expense without 
damaging the leafage. 
During the winter I have been consulting on this subject with 
Mr. Fletcher, the Dominion Entomologist of Canada, who is per- 
fectly well versed, both scientifically and practically, in management 
of these attacks, and two valuable letters have been sent by him to 
Captain Corbett, the Superintendent of theToddington Fruit Grounds. 
Also, I have sent to Evesham notes with regard to measures for so 
dressing the trunks of trees as to prevent the ascent of caterpillars 
which might cross dry grease-bands or hatch from eggs thereon, 
and information as to applications serviceably used in America for 
" washing " off the caterpillars, with requisite details and cautions. 
Also it has been now arranged by the Evesham Conference to 
form a committee of experiment, so that effects of treatment may 
be carefully tried on a sound basis, both as to the applications, and 
the apparatus by which they are thrown, and results reported, and 
this, I hope, will do much good. I am myself co operating to the 
best of my power. 
VOL. 7. T. S. — 1 N 
