566 State Boakd of Agriculture, &c. 



as compared with some other insects. One of these, a small 

 moth (Goriyna niiela, Guen)*, burrows in the larva? state 

 in tlie stalks of the potato, and also in those of other plants. 



Fig. 1. 



2 



STALK-BORER— GORTYN A NITEL A.— G'wen. 

 1. perfect moth ; 2. larva. 

 The moth is about an inch and a lialf across the expanded 

 wings. It is of a gray color, the fore wings finely sprinkled 

 with yellow and having a light line across them near the outer 

 end. As the stalks soon wilt when bored by these larvae, 

 which are one and one-half inclies long, of a light purplish 

 color with light longitudinal stripes, the cultivator can easily 

 find them, and hj cutting off the stalk destroy them. This 

 insect has, I l)elieve, he&n found in Massachusetts, and per- 

 haps in this State, but its ravages have not been extensive. 

 A somewhat similar moth lias as its larva one of the cut 

 worms. It is smaller than the preceding, having a spread 

 of wings of one and one-fourth inches. This moth {Agro- 

 tis tessellata, Harris,) is dark colored, the fore wings being 

 of dark grayish, with a triangular and a square black spot 

 alternating with lighter spots, and near tlie body is another 

 small black spot. Tlie hind wings are black, or very dark 

 below and gray above. The larva of tliis moth is some- 



* Electrotypes for this and the following figures were obtained from 

 Prof. C. V. Riley, State Entomologist of Missouri. 



