ANNUAL MEETING AT SAGINAW. 503 



the earth, and tliough it may do serious misciiief in this State, if such is the 

 case, it has not as yet attracted attention. Like the May beetle, this long, 

 slim legged beetle comes forth in June, and often does immense damage eating 

 the foliage from the shrubs, plants and trees. The May beetle often eats 

 leaves usually of oak trees, but does not do any considerable damage like the 

 swarms of locusts that occasionally devastate the western prairies, or the 

 chinch bugs that come " 1000 to the square inch," so these rose chaffers come 

 in ruinous swarms, and that to cope with them is almost impossible. Our 

 friends at South Haven say that these insects fatten on Paris green. I have 

 wondered if this was not to be explained as follows: The Paris green 

 poisoned thousands, but millions were ready to take their place, and so the 

 practical man thought these beetles proof against poison. Mr. E. S. Carman 

 has had these beetles, and he states that he has put them to rout by the use 

 of Pyrethram, one tablespoonful to the gallon. Others have done the same 

 thing to combat this plague and report a failure. Mr. Carman states that 

 he has tried this remedy with entire success several times. If Mr. Carman's 

 experiments were reliable, and I can hardly doubt but that they were, we 

 must conclude that the other parties either had poor Pyrethrum or else they 

 ■were less thorough in their work. We may certainly hope to try this remedy 

 with profit in case this beetle continues its ravages in our State. 



Another insect has attracted attention in Oakland county as an enemy of 

 the potato. This is the curious insect very properly known as the mole 

 cricket, Gryllotalpa horealis Burm. I have heard the same complaint of this 

 cricket from northern Ohio in previous years. As this cricket lives wholly 

 beneath the earth, it is very difficult to suggest any remedy. Yet from what 

 I know of its past history, I can express with little fear of mistake the opin- 

 ion that this cricket will not become numerous enough to do serious harm. 

 From some observations I have made in taking up old faulty drains I am 

 inclined to the opinion that this mole cricket prefers to burrow in moist 

 land. If this is correct, potatoes planted in damp soil will suffer most. From 

 what I could learn of the ravages this summer, I am confirmed in this opinion. 



In 1880 the common Cotton Bull worm, or what is known in southern 

 Illinois as the Corn worm, was reported to be working on the ears of corn in 

 several parts of our State, though it was not abundant enough to do serious 

 harm. The next year, 18>!l, this insect was very common and destructive, 

 not oidy in various parts of Michigan but also all through the northern States. 

 It will be seen that I called attention to the Corn worm, HelioUiis armigera, 

 in the report of this society for that year. I also expressed the opinion that, 

 as it was a southern moth, I believed the caterpillars would not continue to 

 do harm in our fields and gardens. 



Events have sustained the wisdom of my prediction. If the history of those 

 years is to be repeated we may expect quite a serious onslaught on our green 

 corn next year. There are tw^o broods a year. The early caterpillars work 

 on the earliest garden corn in July, while the larvae of the second brood work 

 in August and September. The larvae vary from greenish to pinkish and are 

 faintly striped. The moths also vary not a little in color. They are usu- 

 ally yellowish with dark colored markings. The moths can be trapped by use 

 of street liquids, also by lights, but, as they will not likely become common 

 here, these remedies will not be generally practical, even if they are desirable. 



I have so often referred to the Aphides — plant lice— thit I need not describe 

 the appearance life, history or serious nature of the attacks of these terrible 



