A^EGETABLE INSECTS. 291 



CORN LANTERN FLY (Peregrinus maidis) . 



If the base of a corn leaf is examined, the observer will usually 

 find between the leaf sheath and the stalk, a number of peculiar look- 

 ing insects that sidle quickly around the stalk or hop into the air at 

 being tlnis disturbed. 



These little gray insects with their delicate wings and crescent- 

 shaped heads, are known as lantern flies. The adults are gray in 

 coloi- with darker markings on the wings, while the immature forms 

 are wingless and are somewhat mealy looking. All stages of this 

 insect feed on the plant juices of the corn, sucking it out through 

 the needle-like proboscis. They arc always present in more or less 

 ;d_)undance. and cause considerable harm ])y sapping the vitality of 

 the plants. 



The adult females insert small, yellow. Hask-sliaped eggs into the 

 tissue of the leaves and stems, from which hatch young wingless 

 lantern tlies. After feeding for about two weeks these finally change 

 into the winged adults. 



The amount of damage caused by this insect does not warrant 

 the expense of an\' special effort to control it on a field scale. How- 

 ever, in a small garden patch they may be controlled by spraying 

 Avith fish-oil soap solution, one pound of soap in five gallons of water. 

 The addition of five spoonfuls of 40 per cent nicotine sulphate will 

 materially increase the efficiency of this spray. 



CORN LEAP APHIS (ApJlis HKlicUs). 



Tills hluish-green plant louse \^ occasionally found in gi'eat 

 jiumbers on the upper i>arts of the stalks and leaves of the corn. 



AVhen conditions are favorable, it increases in inunbers with gi'eat 

 i'a]iidity and injures the leaves by sucking the juices and causing 

 them to shrivel up and die 



The young or iiiimatiii'c forms arc wingless and resemble the 

 adidts which ma\ he either winged or wingless. 



(Jonlral. — So numci'ons arc the insect enemies of this i)lant louse 

 that its spread is checked soon ai'tei- it appears, hence no artificial 

 remedies are required. 



CORN i'KKi)L\(; sN'Ki'iiii) I'l.v ( T'l.roni criis polUus). 



This species is occasionally wvy ahundant i>n com and some of 

 the native wild grasses. The yellowish colored grubs feed on the 

 pollen grains and on the sncchai'ine cells in the axils of t1ie leaves. 



