38 



THE REPOET OF THE 



No. 19 



The plum crop is exceeding abundant, evincing the scarcity of the plum curculio. The 

 cabbage butterfly is, thus far, conspicuously rare. Sugaring for Catocalas in August failed not 

 only to produce those of the " hidden beauty " but also in attracting other noctuids usually so 

 abundant around the bait as Apatela, Agrotis, Hadena, etc. 



It may, however, be of interest to mention 

 three observations wiiich I have made of insects 

 not heretofore appearing in injurious numbers 

 in this immediate vicinity. 



A grape grower complained that an insect 



was eating holes in the leaves of his vines. He 



said it was a beetle of good size. I asked him 



to bring me specimens, thinking it would prove 



to be the grape-vine flea beetle. {Graptodcra 



chalyhea.) You can imagine my astonishment 



when he brought a box full of Felidnota 



punctata, assuring me that I could have more 



if I wished, and said they were flying among 



the vines "thick as bees." This beetle is to 



be found here any year, but it has never before, 



to iny knowledge, appeared in greater numbers 



than one or two to the vine. (Eig. 7-) 



The Rose-beetle has been unusually abundant and destructive this season. I have always 



thought that a light sandy soil was necessary for the propagation of this insect, and for that 



reason we might not be much troubled with it, but this year it thrives, even in the rocky 



soil of Ridgeway. 



My third observation relates to Crioceris asparagi, Linn. In my collection, the specimens 

 are labelled from Utah and New Mexico supplied by exchange, but I think we need not 

 import any more, dead or alive. The aspaiagus beds in our gardens produced enough for all 

 the collections in the Empire this year. 



Doubtless, its presence has been observed in many places in Ontario ere this, but 1903 

 marks its advent to this particular part. 



It threatens to be a real pest to the market gardener, and if the Society has not already 

 published the best means of suppressing its ravas^es, it will be well to do so now. 



Pelidnota punctata n the y,rub h pujii 

 beetle (cla\ \ello\\ ^\lth l)lack spot^) 



RECENT WORK IN AMERICAN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLGY. 

 By Dr. L. O. Howard, United States Entomologist. 

 Dr. Howard prefaced his remarks by giving a brief account of the Division of Entomology 

 in the Department of Agriculture at Washington. He stated that he had now a stafl" of no less 

 than thirty-seven assistants, many of whom were engaged in field investigations at various 

 distant points, and a grant from the Government of $70,000 a year. He contrasted his 

 position with that of the Dominion Entomologist, Dr. Fletcher, who was expected to cover 

 the enormous territory of Canada, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with only two 

 assistants, who were employed in the office at Ottawa, and a very limited pecuniary support. 

 He thought that the attention of the authorities should be drawn to this unsatisfactory 

 condition and that Dr. Fletcher's hands should be strengthened and his work rendered more 

 useful and available by a large increase in his staff and a commensurate expenditure for its 

 support. The Division at Washington was now devoting much attention to Agriculture, 

 Sericulture and Forest insects in addition to the usual work upon insects injurious or beneficial 

 to horticulture, fruit-gr6wing and farming. 



