466 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



times of the year. Its food plants include the nienil)ers of the niorn- 

 ing-giorv family, but the sweet potato is the plant which is most 

 severely attacked. The mature insect feeds not only upon the stems 

 and tubers, but also upon the succulent veins on the undersurface of 

 the leaves, as well as the leaf petioles. The eggs are usually deposited 

 along the course of the vine, but most frequentl}^ as near the base of 

 the stems as possible. About 30 days are required for a complete life 

 cj'^cle, and there are several generations during the 6 months which 

 constitute the life of the sweet-potato plant. 



The author discusses the subject of the origin of this insect without 

 coming to positive conclusions. The probability in the case is that 

 the sweet-potato weevil originated in the same country with the sweet 

 potato. It may therefore be considered as plausible that the sweet- 

 potato weevil came from South America. 



Severe repressive measures should be adopted against this insect, 

 since its continued presence in a locality renders the raising of sweet 

 potatoes practicall}' impossible. Ordinarily, it is not the first genera- 

 tion of beetles which attacks the tubers, and the first indication of 

 attack is in the stems. It is therefore advisable to cover the tubers 

 more deeply so as to prevent, as far as possible, the beetles from gain- 

 ing access to them. The author advises also that sweet potatoes be 

 planted in flat culture without throwing the ground into furrows. 

 The SAveet potatoes will then be covered more deeply and be more inac- 

 cessible to the sweet-potato weevil. It is further advised that when 

 it is found that the tubers are already infested, they should be disposed 

 of as soon as possible in any wav which will destroy the beetles con- 

 tained in them. A bibliography of the literature of this insect is 

 appended to the article. 



Some scale insects upon Kansas grasses, E. A. Popenoe and 

 P. ,T. Parrott {Kamas Sta. Bui. 98, pp. 131-lJf.6, pis. 6').^The authors 

 made a studv of the species of Coccidse which occur upon the native 

 grasses of Kansas. Some of these grasses are important forage plants, 

 and the injury caused to them by the attacks of the scale lice is 

 considerable. 



A table is given for the determination of the difl'erent genera of 

 Coccidte found upon the grasses of Kansas. These genera are Erio- 

 coccus, Gymnococcus, Pseudolecanium, Antonina, and Aspidiotus. A 

 list is given of the species of these genera which occur in Kansas, with 

 the name of the host plant in connection with each species. The num- 

 ber of species thus discussed is 8. Descriptions and brief notes are 

 given of all these species, some of which are described as new. 



The forest tent caterpiUar, C. M. Weed {JVew Hampshire Sta. 

 Bui. 7-j. j>i>. 107-132, jig.s. IJf.). — This bulletin is a revised form of Bul- 

 letin 6i4 by the same author (E. S. R., 11, p. 269), with additional notes 

 concerning outbreaks of the insect in 1899 and notes on the bird 



