REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 209 



pany stated that he had not been able to successfully raise any 

 dahlias for a number of years. In fact had given it up at least 

 ten years ago. 



Later in the season the same insect was reported as doing 

 the same kind of damage in a number of other places in the 

 State. Mrs. Bessie Rupert of Portland brought some to the 

 fair at Gorham asking for information regarding them. She 

 stated that they caused a great deal of damage to her plants, 

 and many buds blighted on that account. Several dahlia grow- 

 ers in Waterville reported the same insect at work on their 

 stock. It is well known that this insect is a very common pest 

 in our gardens injuring many different vegetables as well as 

 flowering plants. It is said that the puncture of its beak is 

 poisonous. The bugs are found throughout the season and are 

 very hard to capture as they quickly take to flight or hide 

 beneath the leaves when approached. They are the most active 

 during the middle of the day, especially when the sun shines. 



They are very hard to control on account of their active habits 

 and the fact that they puncture the buds and leaves to obtain 

 the sap, having like all other bugs no jaws to bite with so that 

 about the only thing that would be in the least effective would 

 be a thorough spraying with kerosene emulsion. It is doubtful 

 if this method would be the best in the case of the dahlia. We 

 would recommend the sweeping of the nearby shrubbery with 

 an insect net in the morning and towards evening. Many 

 would be captured in this way. 



AMERICAN SILK WORM (SAMIA CECROPIA). 



So much has been written regarding this insect that it would 

 seem wholly unnecessary for me to say anything further in 

 relation to it. 



Its life history has been written up by almost every entomol- 

 ogist who has contributed anything to American literature. 

 Cuts showing its different stages have been published by almost 

 every magazine, pamphlet, bulletin and report that has appeared 

 as an entomological publication. Nevertheless the number of 

 cocoons received at the ofiice are increasing each year. During 

 the past year we have received about one hundred and eighty. 



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