204 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [September, 



DEPARTMENT OF EGONOMIG ENTOMOLOGY, 



Edited by Prof. JOHN B. SMITH, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



Papers for this department are solicited. They should be sent to the editor, Prof. John 

 B. Smith, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



The Army Worm, Leucania unipuncta, has formed the subject of many 

 newspaper paragraphs in the Eastern States during the present Summer. 

 It has appeared in destructive numbers in parts of New York, Pennsyl- 

 vania, Massachusetts, New Jersey and other States, but was most serious 

 in the two first named. Dr. Lintner writes that he has "record of it in 

 38 of the 56 counties, and it is probable that only the extreme northern 

 counties were exempt from it." I have received word of its presence 

 from several counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania, and newspaper 

 accounts speak of it from more western points. In New Jersey it was 

 reported from the more southern counties as early as May 26th as inju- 

 rious to grain and grass; but it was exceedingly local, and after the mid- 

 dle of June nothing more was heard of it from the points first infested. 

 Its injuries were comparatively slight, though, of course, severe to the 

 farmers directly concerned. About the middle of July there was a very 

 local outbreak in Atlantic County, but the principal complaints came 

 during the latter part of June and early in July, from two or three of the 

 northern counties. Leucania unipiincta is always a common insect 

 throughout the eastern and central United States and seems, under or- 

 dinary conditions, to be very evenly distributed. The interesting feature 

 in the New Jersey part of the outbreak is its extremely local character. 

 A field here and there proves to be badly infested, while all intervening 

 lands are clean. Near Egg Harbor City a single field only was attacked, 

 though all about were others in much the same condition as to situation, 

 character of crop and nature of rotation employed. So, also, I was sur- 

 prised to note the differences in the amount of parasitic infestation in the 

 specimens sent me. In some sendings every caterpillar had eggs of 

 Tachinid flies attached to it; in others a small proportion or none at all 

 were infested. The climatic conditions in New Jersey during the early 

 Spring of 1896 were those accounted most favorable to this insect, i. e., 

 dry and warm. As to the remedial measures adopted, they were gen- 

 erally of the most perfunctory and unsatisfactory character. Some simply 

 sat and wailed, others tried insecticides indiscriminately, a few gathered 

 the crop as it was for fodder and somewhat under-ripe, and only in occa- 

 sional instances was destruction of the infested field resorted to. Fur- 

 rowing was resorted to in some cases, and in one instance a ditch was dug 

 on low ground, until water stood in it and this effectually confined the 

 creatures to their original point of infestation. 



Mosquitoes were also the subject of much newspaper comment in the 

 Metropolitan press, and in some places near New York they were certainly 



