INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CORN. 



263 



no suitable means of fighting these insects as is the case with the northern 

 corn root-worm, because the insect is not confined in its food habits to 

 the corn plant by any 

 means, and therefore can- 

 not be starved out, as in the 

 case with the other root- 

 worm. The insect seems 

 to attack more especially 



sugar corn and corn vS" 24-Southem com Root-Worm. Larva, lateral 



planted early, or corn in the neighborhood of squash, cucumber, melons 

 and the like. An illustration of the larvae of the southern corn root- 

 worm is shown in figure 2t„ enlarged five di- 

 ameters, and a side view of the same in figure 

 24, also magnified five diameters. A pupa is 

 shown in figure 25, enlarged ten diameters. 

 Insects in the larval condition are frequently 

 attacked by a bacterial parasitic disease, 

 which kills great numbers of them. Appar- 

 ently when these insects become unduly 

 numerous, they succumb very rapidly to this 

 disease, which seems to be the only means 

 by which these insects arc held in check ma- 

 terially. 



Fig. 25. — Southern Corn Root- 

 Worm, Pupa; enlarged ten" di- 

 ameters. 



THE WHITE GRUBS. 



Lachnosterna (several species). 



The common white grubs are among our most widespread and de- 

 structive insects infesting general farm crops, not only throughout tnis 

 country, but in Europe as well. They are the larval stage of what are 

 commonly known as May beetles or June beetles, and are familiar to 

 town people as well as to farmers, because of the fact that the beetles 

 are so readly attracted to light that they frequently get into our houses 

 and fly about the rooms' with a buzzing sound, bumping against the ceil- 

 ing and the walls and finally tumbling down, recovering themselves and 

 repeating the same process. These beetles, as everybody knows, are from 

 one-half inch to three-fourths inch in length, of a robust form, the body 

 being short and thick set and of a dark brown color. As they all have 

 a very similar appearance, differing largely in the matter of size and the 

 shade of brown, I have given an illustration of one species only, viz., 

 rugosa, which is shown enlarged two and one-fifth diameters in figure 

 26. This will give the reader a good idea of the general shape of all of 

 these beetles. 



