AaRICULTURAL SCIENCE AT THE ST. LOFIS MEETING. 545 



Aiiiont;- othei- bottmic-ul papers of oconomic importance may be men- 

 tioned Tlie Distribution of Some Iowa Plants, I)}' L. H. Panmiel; 

 Unpul)lish('(l Notes on the Tredineie, by M. A. Carleton; The Histology 

 of Insect (Talis, by M. T. Cook; and The Type of the Genus Agrostis, 

 by A. S. Hitchcock. 



ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



The entomological papers were presented before the Society for the 

 Promotion of Agricultural Science, and the Association.of Economic 

 Entomologists. L. O. Howard gav^e an account of the work of the 

 Department in combating the cotton- boll weevil. This work has been 

 prosecuted for a number of years, and has included experiments with 

 a number of insecticides and a test of cultural methods. The results 

 thus far obtained indicate that by proper attention to cultural details 

 a fairly successful crop of cotton can be produced, even in the worst 

 infested, localities. The outlook is therefore not believed to be so 

 gloomy as has sometimes been supposed. 



A paper on the same subject was presented by E. D. Sanderson, who 

 outlined the work of the Texas Station in combating this insect. Atten- 

 tion was called by this speaker also to the desirability of combining 

 proper cultural methods with insecticide treatment. No cotton plants 

 should be allowed to stand in the fields over winter, and other material 

 in which the weevil could be successfully concealed or carried from 

 place to place should be destroyed. 



The same speaker discussed a card index system for entomological 

 records. The literature of this subject was briefly discussed, with 

 special reference to schemes for keeping a correspondence record, 

 accessions catalogue, and an experiment record. 



F. M. Webster discussed the subject of Buflalo Gnats in the Missis- 

 sippi Valley, with special reference to the life history of these insects. 

 Gnats are most abundant along the Mississippi between Cairo and 

 New Orleans. A historical account was given of the various outbreaks 

 of this pest, with statements of losses. The gnats are most prevalent 

 in years of high water. There appear to be two forms of female, one 

 sterile and one fertile. The sterile female is apparently the only form 

 of gnat which wanders far away from water courses and is the one to 

 which the losses of stock are due. The worst outbreaks of this insect 

 are due to overflow from the Mississippi, and these outbreaks have 

 become less frequent and less serious since the establishment of sub- 

 stantial levees. 



C. P. Gillette spoke on The Insects of the Year in Colorado. Grass- 

 hoppers were very numerous and experiments Avere made with fungi 

 in controlling them. Apparenth^ the Australian grasshopper fungus 

 was (piite ineffective, while Empma grylU destroyed a number of 

 grasshoppers. The speaker tested the use of a mixture of horse 



