STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ;! 53 



T presume most of my hearers, especially those of the horticultural 

 persuasion, are aware that we distinguish in Entomology four distinrt 

 classes of names (at least they ougiit to know after all the itrcai liing they 

 have had on the subject.) These names are, first, of Orders; second, of 

 Families ; third, of Genera; ; and lastly, of Species. I have so f;ir, chiefly 

 dealt with the last; the first three are suggested chiefly by their charac- 

 teristics, and hence are more or less descriptive. 



Names which the ancients applied to distinct species, have in later 

 times been applied to the whole genus. Thus Coccus, as Dr. Harris 

 tells us, is the name of a grain, and was the scarlet in grain of the Ro- 

 mans; they supposed it to be a vegetable production. 



Curculio was also by the Romans applied to the European corn- 

 weevil, but now to the whole tribe of them, amounting to between eight 

 thousand and ten thousand species. 



So is Coccus applied to the whole family of scale insects. 



CATERPILLARS AND GRUBS. 



An important and a rich chapter. No tiller of the soil, no horticul- 

 turist will deny it. Although much injury is done by the perfect insects 

 of the four orders, colcoptera, orthopicra, hemiptera, homoptcra, yet does it 

 not stand comparison with that done by their larvae added to that done 

 by the larva; of the Icpidopiera. The larva? state is the period of growth, 

 and although not the longest in the aggregate existence of the indi\'id- 

 ual, the larva; state is the longest of the destructive period. 



It is the caterpillar, the grub, the louse, and the larvre and pupre of 

 many orthoplrroia; insects, which are destructive to the appletree, the 

 peach, plum, and the grapevine; to the garden, the forest, the field, and 

 the meadow. The injury done by the perfect insect is insignificant in 

 comparison ; because first, they need no food in order to grow, and sec- 

 ondly they are too short-lived. The most serious injury done to plants 

 we cultivate, is that done bv the so-called Spanish-fly, Lytta ritiaia on 

 the potato vine, — the injury done by the Colorado beetle being much 

 less than that done by its larvae. Another is the grasshopper, some 

 wasps and beetles, on fruits. 



On the other hand do we derive the greatest benefit from insect- 

 friends during their mature state ; be it by their habits as parasites, or 

 by their raptoTial habits: it is rhicflv the perfect beetle, rcar-horsc. bug. 

 or wasp. 



In Economic Entomology, the knowledge as to what particular m- 

 sects catcrpillnrs, grubs, etc., will turn to, therefore, is commensurate in 

 importance with the injury and destruction done to what we culivate for 

 our subsistence, for commerce, comfort, and pleasure ; I say in Economic 

 Entomology, because Scientific Entomology takes notice of all insects, 

 injurious'or not. 



It is computed by entomologists, that the proportion of known in- 

 sects to known plants is as five to (me ; this need however, not mislead 

 to the supposition that each species of plant has five different insect en- 



