WILLOW BEETLE. 
97 
“ The Paris-green we had difficulty in getting, but a supply has 
now come to hand, and experiments are being made. One man dressed 
a few Willows three days ago, and he is sanguine of success. Growers 
are afraid to use this solution for fear of damaging the Willow, but so 
far their fears have proved groundless. 
“As to the extent of the attack, I cannot say much farther than 
that in the district between Warrington and Lymm, a distance of five 
or six miles, all the Willows are affected pretty much alike. At 
Thelwall, which is about midway, the beetle has been troublesome for 
twenty years, but not until three years ago did it give any trouble in 
Lymm. About that time a few plants were affected adjoining the river ; 
last year these plots were very nearly worthless, and other plots were 
attacked; and so the plague has spread. 
“ This year (1884) I have no doubt the exceptionally dry season 
has largely encouraged the increase of the insect. I am told that in 
Thelwall district* gas-lime, sulphur, hellebore, soot, &c., have been 
tried as preventives, but without any good effect, and hand-picking 
has been looked upon as the only remedy. I am sending some more 
specimens of leaves and grubs.” 
On the 24th of July, Mr. Cameron forwarded some more grubs of 
Willow Beetle, and concluded his series of careful notes with the 
information that the young Willow crop was then doing fairly well, 
and the beetles upon them doing little harm ; but on two-or-three-year- 
old plants considerable harm was done. 
The Paris-green had been most satisfactory of all the dressings 
which had been tried. “ Indeed, I believe by emptying this dressing early 
enough the beetle might be kept fairly well under, the difficulty at this 
season of the year being to get the wash distributed ; the Willows 
grow so thickly on the ground and so high that any spray distributed 
cannot be used. I find the Willows are easily damaged if Paris-green 
is used stronger than the quantities given by Mr. G. Leigh in his notes. 
I think our safety is in early spring work , and trapping of some amount in 
early winter f 
On Jan. 24th of the present year, Mr. Cameron confirmed the 
correctness of the above views by the following report of the state 
of affairs up to that date, which, I should say, most especially showed 
the serviceableness of winter trapping on the broad scale in which, in 
a case like this, it can be carried out. 
Mr. Cameron observes:— “ Where diligent hand-picking was 
attended to, the crop of Willows has proved an average one; and 
where the Paris-green dressing was applied they have also proved a 
good crop. Where no remedial measures were adopted the growth 
* See also previous report from Lymm, p. 94. 
U 
