Annual Meeting at St. Joseph. 309 



afford sustenance for its larvae. The latter are not, however, con- 

 fined to a single stem, but make their way readily from one that is 

 wilted to one that is fresh and vigorous. 



I found it working last June in many of the strongest shoots 

 of our blackberries, and in Northern Illinois a year ago, it was very 

 destructive in rhubarb (pie plant) beds. It is frequently found in 

 the stalks of the potato and tomato and various choice flowering 

 plants, as well as in young shoots of maple and ash trees. It is a 

 difficult insect to exterminate on account of the great variety of its 

 food plants, which include nearly all our larger herbaceous weeds, 

 such as the rag weeds. Golden Rod, Aster, Cockle Burr, etc., besides 

 the cultivated plants which I have mentioned. The only remedy 

 is to pull up and burn stalks that have suddenly wilted. In very 

 choice plants like the Dahlia and Lily, which are frequently at- 

 tacked by it, if observed^ soon after it enters the stalk it can be 

 removed with a sharp pen knife and the plant will recover. 



By motion of the secretary a vote of thanks was tendered to 

 Miss Murtfeldt for her admirable paper ; and the great worth of 

 such papers to the society as this and the one furnished for the 

 summer report at Springfield and the secretary is directed to send 

 her a copy of this resolution. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON" ENTOMOLOGY TO STATE 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AT ST. JOSEPH, 



DEC. 11, 1884. 



DE. A. GOSLIJSr. 



It is not necessary in this enlightened age, marked by so great 

 advance in every department of science, to urge the importance 

 of the study of the insect world. The study of insects has assumed 

 an importance in its direct application to advancement in agricul- 

 ture, horticulture and sylvaculture, second to no other department 

 of natural history. 



It has been truthfully said that insects have established a kind 

 of universal empire over the earth and its inhabitants. Minute as 

 many of them are, and insignificant in size to other than natur- 

 alists, yet in combination they liave desolated countries and 



