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proceed to the interior in an endeavor to obtain additional parasites of the 
Mexican bean beetle suitable for introduction into the eastern United States. The 
territory in eastern Guatemala, high and subtropical in character, should. 
- furnish parasites capable of living in the southeastern United States, 
| William D, Mecum, for several seasons employed by the bureau at Madison, 
Wis., has been temporarily re-employed as field assistant to assist J. E, Dudley, 
jYe, in the pea-aphis investigations in Wisconsin, 
Reporting upon the work of field cleaning in sweet-potato weevil eradica- 
tion in Mississippi, K. L. Cockerham says that for several years this section of 
the Gulf Yoast has not had sufficient cold weather to cause a general rotting of 
vegetation left in the fields, Therefore it was decided that street-potato fields 
which were infested with the sweet~potato weevil must be cleaned up and all 
scraps of tubers, vines, crowns, and general rubbish burned. 
| Beginning about the middle of January and continuing through February and 
the first half of March, a total of more than 180 farms, ageregating more than 
175 acres of potato fields, were cleared of rubbish, This work was done in con- 
junction with the Mississippi State Plant Board, which furnished for the joint 
use of the State and Federal governments men who acted as foremen of crews, and 
also paid for the day labor. Regular day laborers were hired to do most of the 
plowing and raking. The Bureau of Entomology was in charge of the different 
territories, 
In most instances the fields were plowed with an ordinary turning plow, 
all vines and waste material being turned over near the top of the soil, The 
labor crew followed these plows and raked out all parts of potatoes, vines, and 
cromms, and heaped them in piles across the fields. Then the refuse was piled in 
one large heap, saturated with kerosene, and set on fire, In most instances, 
however, the kerosene vas not sufficient to burn completely these large piles 
of green vegetable matter. Fat pine from the near-by-cut-over lands was brought 
in and placed on these burning piles, and this usually completed the job of 
destruction, 
This work not only destroys the overwintering weevil in its several 
stages, but also largely eliminates the volunteer~plant menace which must be com- 
batted from May on through the sumer months, as it has been found that many 
infestations hold over from year to year in this manner. 
While great good was accomplished by this work, it is yet incompleted, 
and many farms were not cleaned because of lack of funds, It is planned next 
fall to clean thoroughly every field before harvest; yet wnless more funds are 
available this will be impossible. 
MISCELLANEOUS 
(Items from the National Museum contributed by S. A. Rohver) 
B. Preston Clark, a specialist in Macrolepidoptera, spent Thursday, April 

