36 
tion was made. My cherries were saved in the same way. This is a cheap remedy 
and a sure shot for them. — [S. Justus, Ohio, July 10, 1893. 
Reply — The Entomologist reports that while he is hardly willing to admit that 
the result of your single experiment proves the efficacy of carbolic acid, he is, never- 
theless, greatly pleased at its success and when opportunity offers he will conduct 
further experiments in the same line. — [July 13, 1893.] 
Abundance of Tent Caterpillars. 
The Apple-tree Tent-caterpillar (Clisioeampa americana Harr.) seems to have its 
own way in the town of Andover and portions of Lawrence. Nearly every tree is 
covered with them. The farmers do not molest them and I have been informed that 
they have not done so for a number of years past, and of course the caterpillars are 
getting worse every year. I collected some of the larvse and I find that some of them 
are parasitized by the Tachina flies and some with Ichneumons. — [Geo. B. King. 
Mass., July 3. 1893. 
An Alfalfa "Worm in "Wyoming. 
During the last week of May an " army" of worms appeared upon the young alfalfa 
on the McConnell ranch, near Jetsam. In a few days the greater part of 80 acres of 
alfalfa looked as if scorched by fire. As soon as the damage was noticed the work 
of irrigation was hurried and the ground flooded as fast as possible. Wherever it 
was possible to cover the ground wi^h water the worms were destroyed. Uneven 
ground where water could not be ru jj. had to be left to the birds. Black birds, larks, 
and American robins were especially active. Three weeks would cover the entire 
time of the irrigation. The worms after abandoning the alfalfa continued their work 
upon wild sunflower and a few other plants along the banks of the ditches and lat- 
erals, working in the same manner as upon the alfalfa by webbing up the plant, and 
then eating the leaves. It is not usual for these worms to attack alfalfa. It may 
perhaps be explained by the fact that other vegetation is rather scarce owing to 
extremely dry weather. — [E. G. Lamberson, Wyoming, June 29, 1893. 
Xote. — The alfalfa worm is the larvse of a species of Loxostege nearly allied to L. 
sUbtiealis which damaged sugar beets in Nebraska during 1892. 
Tansy and the Plum Curculio 
I am reminded by the inquiry of G. L. F. in Scientific American of to-day's date — 
page 45, jiaragraph 5186 — of the perfect protection from insect attacks afforded a 
wild plum tree transplanted from the woods into my father's garden more than fifty 
years ago, by a clump of tansy growing all about the tree trunk. Plums ripening 
about a bed of tansy will not be found stung, but coated with a sort of " frosting'' 
quite bitter to the taste, a bloom such as covers the skin of the grape. [G. W. Devin, 
Iowa, July 15, 1893. 
Eeplt. — I have heard of this protection of plum trees by tansy and have referred 
to it in some of my writings on the Plum Curculio, but heretofore have always been 
more or less skeptical in regard to the matter. — [July 18, 1893.] 
A Handsome Blister Beetle. « 
I inclose under another cover a couple of insects taken upon the top of Short Off 
Mountain, at an elevation of about 5,000 feet above sea level. They are found feed- 
ing upon JRobinia viscosa ; were quite plentiful. The gentleman who was with me 
says that a few days before he saw immense quantities of them upon Whitesides at 
about the same elevation where they had nearly, if not quite, denuded the Bobinia 
viscosa of its foliage. Have not observed them yet at a lower elevation. What are 
