WHOLE VOL. APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY HOWARD I25 



respondence was referred since he was in charge of the entomological 

 office, took the specimens to Mr. Henry Ulke, an artist, musician, and 

 famous collector of Coleoptera, who lived in Washington. The insect 

 was new to Ulke, and he sent it to Dr. George H. Horn, of Phila- 

 delphia, the foremost American authority on beetles. The insect 

 proved new to Doctor Horn also, and he in turn forwarded it to a 

 well known writer on the weevils, in Paris, Monsieur A. Salle. Even- 

 tually the name came back, and we had at least the satisfaction of 

 knowing the name of the Mexican pest. 



No mention was made of this matter in any of the publications ot 

 the Department of Agriculture until 1885 when, Professor Riley hav- 

 ing returned as chief of the entomological service of this Depart- 

 ment, the mere fact was mentioned in his report for that year. 



Again some years elapsed ; and then the species was brought very 

 forcibly to the attention of the Department. On October 3, 1894, 

 Mr. C. H. DeRyee, of Corpus Christi, Texas, sent the following letter 

 to the Department of Agriculture in Washington : 



The " Top " crop of cotton of this section has been very much damaged and 

 in some cases almost entirely destroyed by a pecuHar weevil or bug which by 

 some means destroys the squares and small bolls. Our farmers can combat the 

 cotton worm but are at loss to know what to do to overcome this pest. They 

 claim the ordinary methods of poisoning for cotton worm have no effect on these 

 bugs. They probably deposit their eggs in the square and their larvae enter the 

 boll as soon as sufficiently formed and are there out of reach of the poison. 



Will you kindly, for the benefit of our farmers, let me know what this pest 

 is and send me any literature that may be available with information which will 

 enlighten and benefit our farming people. 



I send you by mail today a lot of these bugs put up in a small vial. Have put 

 some coarsely ground fla.x seed in with them which may keep them alive till 

 you receive them. 



Mr. DeRyee was a member of the firm of DeRyee & Bingham, 

 dealers in drugs and medicines. The exact locality from which the 

 specimens came was not given, but it was obviously not very far from 

 Corpus Christi. The original sendings did not reach Washington, and 

 an additional sending was requested. On October 26, 1894. more were 

 received and were identified as Anthonomus grandis by Doctor 

 Schwarz, who had resumed his work in the Department of Agri- 

 culture. The situation appeared to be so serious that C. H. Tyler 

 Townsend was sent from the Department, and from November 15 

 to December 15 traveled in south Texas and adjacent Mexican terri- 

 tory, and submitted an alarming report. 



Between the time when Doctor Palmer found the insect at Mon- 

 clova and the receipt of Mr. DeRyee's letter just quoted, it had begun 



