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STORED-PRODUCT INSECT INVESTIGATIONS 
E. A. Back, Entomologist in Charge 
In the latter part of October Dr. Back was the guest of the Internation 
al Fumigators, of Buffalo, at the fumigation of a large modern milling 
establishment at Detroit. Chloropicrin gas was used. 
On Neverber 4 A. O.-Larson, in field charge of the Bean Weevil Inves- 
tigations in California, gave at a convention of County Herticultural 
Commissioners, held in Sacramento, an interesting talk on the bean weevil 
situation in that State. On November 27 Dr. Howard received from Com- 
missioner A. H. Call, of the. California State Agsociation of County Horti- 
cultural Comaissioners, a resolution thanking Mr. Larson for his presentation © 
of ‘the subjedt and extending to the Federal Bureau the cooperation of the 
County Horticultural Commissioners. When expressing his appreciation of 
the action taken, Dr. Howard added "We -.feel suré that lir. ‘Larson has done an 
excellent piece of work and are . SEER. ieee it meets: with the approval of your — 
County Commissioners." “a 

In the past month, through the courtesy of the Office of Cereal Inves-— 
tigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, Perez Simmons secured the use of an 
electric threshing machine for threshing. about 400 samples of wheat heads 
collected during the wheat-harvesting period. These samples are the 
basis of important and tp tenets BEES . 2 ae Mites 
Dr. Back has been deealoeesse Bor Ralph F . Windoes, Executive Secretary of 
the National Association of Upholstered murnd Sane fanufacturers, that the 
Executive Comaittee of that organization has voted to pay Dr. Back's 
travéling expenses provided he would investigate conditions favorable or 
otherwise to the increase of tow insects. The tremendous increase of insects 
in tow during the past few years has become a matter of concern to the 
furniture trade and threatens certain American products. Psocids and 
tobacco and drug-store beetles are the primary pests involved. They develop © 
in many instances in tremendous numbers in the vegetable naterial (par ticularly 
flax tow and Spanish moss) used in upholstering furniture. \ 
C. K. Fisher is taking graduate work for the degree of master of science 
at the Riverside Branch of the University of California. His work is under w 
the direction of Professors H. J. Quayle and H. S.: Smith, and is based on a 
study of the life history and economic, importance of two parasites of the 
Southern cowpea weevil, Bruchus cquadrimaculatus Say. The parasites are: 
Lariophazus distinguendus (Foerst) and Aplastomorpha calandrae (How.)«° ~ 


The Retail Research Association of New York, controlled by an 
association of our largest retail establishments, inquired in a letter dated 
November 2<4 as to the progress of the Bureau's e2 cperiments. with cold—- 
storage temperatures as controls for Strouse s, Regn ei; 
: In the eat. month a watentea Etecuueal er Oe ee oe feet in 
size,with exhaust fan and pipe to roof, has.beén installed in Building FP, 
Although this equipment represents in part a-gift from a large manufacturing 
