sae) NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
were not unusually abundant, though as the season advanced small 
areas, especially beside orchards, were found to be infested with 
considerable numbers. The use of grasshopper bait was advised 
in a number of such places and in several instances rather serious 
damage to young fruit trees was reported, due to ignoring the insects 
earlier and allowing them to develop unchecked. 
May or June beetles were unusually numerous in many sections 
of the State, defoliating or partly defol‘ating individual trees and, 
in not a few instances, strips of woodland. This condition was 
pointed out earlier and an effort made to interest the farmers in 
noting these results for themselves, since the amount of feeding 
affords a basis for estimating the probabilities of damage another 
season to susceptible crops, such as corn and potatoes planted upon 
sod land near badly affected trees. In cooperation with the Insect 
Pest Survey and Information Service it has been possible to make 
what is practically a May or June beetle survey of the State and as 
a result there has been brought together a mass of data which can be 
used to great practical advantage in indicating areas where serious 
injury by the destructive white grub is likely to occur next year. 
The information has been summarized and it is planned to distribute 
this early next spring so as to prevent, so far as possible, serious losses 
by planting upon land badly infested by these destructive pests. 
_ The wheat midge was somewhat injurious to heading rye in various 
parts of the State and later was found in many wheat fields. It 
was estimated that the loss in southern Niagara and northern Erie 
counties caused by this insect would approximate 20 per cent in 
shrunken wheat. The actual loss in other wheat-growing counties 
appears to be considerably less, that in Orleans county being placed 
at 3 to 5 percent. This damage, comparatively rare during recent 
years in New York State, was largely due to unusual climatic con- 
ditions at the time the grain was heading and there is little proba- 
bility of its recurring another year. 
Field crops. The work of the seed corn maggot in bean fields 
came to notice the last of June and was very serious, the loss on seed 
alone in one g-acre field in Genesee county amounting to $70, while 
from 50 to 75 per cent of 16 acres were destroyed. One Monroe 
county grower lost over $300 on seed alone. The damage for Erie 
county was put at 4o per cent and it was estimated that one-quarter 
of $96,000 worth of seed was destroyed in Orleans county. Untoward 
weather conditions and deep planting on the wetter land appear to 
have greatly augmented losses, while the total damage was increased 
by the work of snails, millipeds and disease. 
