No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 523 



INSKCTS INJURIOUS TO CUCURBITACEOUS 



PLANTS. 



BY H. A. StJBFACE, Professor of Zoology, Penna. State College. 



CUCURBITACEOUS PLA:XTS. 



By the above term is meant those plants that belong to the botani- 

 cal family Oucurhitacece. Although they are all vining plants, one 

 could not give them the common name of "The Vining Plants," be- 

 cause such a term would apply as well to sweet potatoes, grapes, etc. 

 Belonging to this family.are the following: Watermelon and citron, 

 muskmelon or cantaloupe, cucumber, squash, gourd, cashaw, pump- 

 kin,, etc. 



The citron is but a variety of watermelon that is used for preserv- 

 ing, as regular citrons of commerce are preserved. Muskmellons 

 and cantaloupes are identical, although some persons have attempt- 

 ed to indicate differences. 



INSECTS. 



GENERAL REMARKS ON INSECTS. 



Since the insects that attack one species of these plants are found 

 more or less injurious to all of the family, we shall not make a sepa- 

 rate list of species of insects for each kind of plant, but shall discuss 

 them in their' consecutive entomological order. We refer for the 

 practical measures of each to tlie separate discussions of preventives 

 and remedies given in the latter part of the bulletin. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



In order to understand the principles of the classifications, life 

 histories, and remedies given later, it is necessary to bear in mind 

 the following fundamental facts concerning insects: 



The class of insects {Insecfa) is divided into large groups called 

 Orders, and the latter are in turn divided into smaller groups, each 

 called a Family. Families contain yet smaller groups called Genera 

 and the final division of the latter is Species. The scientific name of 

 an insect is the name of its genus and species written in the order here 

 inddcated. Tlu' classification of an insect is its order, family, genus 

 find speciv'^s. In the following pages we have expressed the classifi- 



:^2 



