’ a Goo 
I TROPICAL AND SUBTROFICAL INSECT INVESTIGATIONS. 
a GC. L. Mariatt, In Charge, 
| : Mr. J. R. Horton, in field charge of citrus insect investiga- 
bions in Louisiana, spent the last week of December in Washington, 
bo consult on the future of the Louisiana work. The destruction of 
moe recent great storm referred to in an earlier number of this news 
letter was such, both of the experimental work under way, and the 
orchards themselves, as to make it impracticable to continue the ex- 
perimental work at New Orleans. Fortunately, the main object of this 
nvestigation, namely, the study of the Argentine ant in relation to 
citrus orchards, is substantially completed and will soon be worked 
Up for publication. Supplementing the work at New Orleans, Mr. 
Horton will be commissioned to study the Argentine ant in Southern 
California for a few months, in cooperation with Mr. Woglum, to 
Oetermine whether the relation of the ant to citrus trees and to 
citrus insects is the same under California conditions as it is in 
the moister Mississippi delta section. 
Messrs. Back and Pemberton are rounding up the research work in 
: Hawaii, in relation to the Mediterranean fruit fly, and some prelin- 
inary results of this inves Gree baee have been published from time to 
time in the Journal of Agricultural Kéesearch of this Department. 
Messrs. Back and Pemberton have Peoehtly submitted for publication 
an the Journal of Economic Entomology a paper giving the parasitism 
ong the larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Hewaii during the 
r ear. 1915. 
| 
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Mr. Woglum reports gratifying results in his experimental work 
in control of the mealy bug, and hopes to have this investigation in 
shape for the submission of a comprehensive report early this year. 
| Mr. Yothers is undertaking a state-wide inquiry in Florida, to 
Metermine the exact amount of benefit derived from proper spray- 
| control methods against the white fly and other citrus pests in that 
| State, more particularly as it affects the increased percentage of 
|) first-grade Truitt, 
i a The Federal Horticultural Board, in which the Bureau is directly 
m and cooperatively interested, reports that two huge fumigating plants 
| are now being erected in Boston for the fumigation of imported lint 
Cotton. One of these plants is capitalized at half a million dollars, 
and the other one is equally large. Preparations for the erection of 
additional plants are under way at New York, and similar smaller 
plants will doubtless be erected at San Francisco, and perhaps other 
principal entry ports. ‘These cotton fumigating plants present by far 
larger agencies for insect destruction than have ever hitherto been 
contemplated, and they illustrate the possinility of a new method of 
insect control on a large scale, which will apply equally well to 
nursery stock, household goods, or any other material requiring dis- 
infection. 








