1&8 STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



But little is known of the earlier stages of this insect. The larvK of those 

 species of that family that are known are vegetable feeders. The larva? of a 

 very similar insect, the robber liy (Promachus Philadelphus), eats grass 

 roots, and it is probable that the larvre of the Missouri bee-killer has the same 

 habit. 



If tliis insect should continue in the good work of destroying the rape but- 

 terfly, it may be able to balance the heavy debit marks which the bee-keeper 

 has against it by an equally long credit mark given it by the lover of the 

 succulent cabbage. It certainly is a matter well worthy of observation by 

 every horticulturist, and if the coming summer proves tliat the Missouri bee- 

 killer does not become " weary in well doing," but continues to destroy the 

 enemy of the horticulturist, we can thankfully place it on our list of beneficial 

 insects, and not, as heretofore, class it among our enemies. 



While speaking of the enemies of the imported cabbage butterfly, it may be 

 well to state that during the past season there has been found on a caterpillar 

 of this butterfly some ichneumon cocoons, to all outward appearance the same 

 as those so often found, on the larvas of the grape sphinx (Darapsa Myron). 

 They will probably prove to be the cocoons of a little four winged niacrogaster 

 fly. Thus, as the years roll on, nature gives us new helps in fighting our 

 insect foes. 



There is another insect, which, though not new in our State, has, bo far as I 

 know, never been treated of in any of the reports of this society. It is the 

 white marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma, Sm. and Abbott). This 

 beautiful caterpillar is no new enemy to the American pomologist. Dr. Harris 

 speaks of it as almost stripping the orchards of Massachusetts in 1828, and 

 also as being very destructive to the shade trees of Boston in the years 1848, 

 '49 and '50. Prof. Kiley describes it in his first report of 18G8 as affecting the 

 orchards of Missouri. 



Probably most persons present have noticed in the fall and winter little 

 bunches of curled brown leaves on the trunks and larger branches of the apple 

 tree. If these are examined the most of them will be found to consist of an 

 empty cocoon, covered with many little spherical cream colored eggs. Over 

 and connecting these there is a dry, frothy mass, resembling somewhat the 

 beaten white of a hen's egg. In one of these egg masses of average size, I 

 counted two hundred and sixty-three eggs, so that as will be readily seen, these 

 insects would increase very fast if there were nothing to check their progress. 

 The eggs hatched from the 15th of May to the 15tli of June, and the young 

 caterpillars immediately commence their work of spoliation. They are of a 

 whitish color when hatched, but become brighter colored as they grow older. 

 When full grown they have a yellow body covered with yellow hairs. The 

 head and part of the posterior extremity are of a bright scarlet. Just behind 

 the head and near the other end there are too long black pencils or tufts of 

 very fine hairs. The male caterpillar reaches its full development in three 

 and a half weeks, when it is three-fourths of an inch long. The female 

 requires about a week longer for development, and measures one and one-half 

 inches. When ready to pupate the caterpillar seeks some convenient place on 

 the trees, as a projecting piece of bark or a crotch, and spins a thin, whitish 

 cocoon. It soon pupates and in two weeks the images come. In this stage 

 the sexes are very different. The wings and thorax of the male are brown, the 

 abdomen bluish. The antenna? are feathered and the front legs thickly 

 clothed with scales. On the inner edge of each front wing there is a small 

 light colored spot. The female is wingless, the body of a dark brown color 



