Reports of Consulting 'Entomologist. 407 
3, it was noticed that the fat was rather firmer than that of the others. 
During the experiment the beasts were weighed at the end of 
each period with a full stomach. The weights of the carcasses were 
personally taken by Mr. Elliott. 
The experiment of fasting the bullocks at the farm did not turn 
out satisfactorily ; some of the beasts, owing to their eating their 
litter, were not thoroughly fasted, and thus their carcass weights 
came out very low. This was particularly noted in the case of bullock 
No. 1. 
E. "W. VOELCKER. 
REPORTS OF CONSULTING ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Infestation of Fruit Trees by Caterpillars. 
During the late winter and spring months, much attention has 
been directed in the Western fruit-growing counties to ascertaining 
what reliable measures could be adopted in order to destroy the 
hordes of caterpillars which now appear almost as a regular, yearly 
recurring cause of serious loss to fruit-growers. 
It has become more and more plain each year that although 
sticky banding is so far of service, that in many cases the foliage of 
orchard trees would have been totally destroyed if the banding had 
not been done, yet still that it is only a partial protection against 
wingless moths gaining access to the trees for egg-laying, and is no 
protection at all from the many kinds of attack originated by winged 
infestations : also it is expensive, needs renewing at intervals, and, 
without special arrangements to insure safety to bark, is detrimental 
to the health of the trees. 
Measures were found to be absolutely necessary of a kind which 
could be brought to bear on any or all sorts of caterpillars together 
(whatever their various natures or previous histories may have been), 
and would kill the whole collection of ravaging hordes at once, but 
without damaging the leafage. It was before us all in reports of 
the Agricultural Departments and State entomologists of Canada 
and the United States, that for years back attacks to orchard trees, 
perfectly similar in their nature to those which have been causing 
us such loss here, were lessened or wholly prevented there by 
applications, and especially fluid applications, sprayed on to the 
trees, of which full details were given ; and to meet our urgent need, 
it was arranged by a conference of leading fruit-growers, of which 
the headquarters are at Evesham, to form a committee of experiment 
to test the serviceableness of these applications in our rather dif- 
ferent climate, and (at present) with our inferior apparatus for 
throwing fluids. This committee is working actively and with 
satisfactory results. I am in especial communication with Mr. J. 
Masters, of Evesham, the lion, secretary, and likewise with Captain 
