PREFACE. 



This little volume has been prepared for the pur- 

 pose of furnishing the farmer, the fruit-grower, the 

 floriculturist, and the house-keeper with a concise 

 account of the more important injurious insects with 

 which they have to contend, together with a summary 

 of the latest knowledge concerning the best methods 

 of preventing or counteracting the injuries of these 

 pests. In its p reparation free use has been made of 

 the information scattered through the literature of 

 economic entomology ; and, as a rule, it has been 

 found impracticable to give to each author credit for 

 first working out the life-histories of the various 

 species. In one way or another the contributions 

 of nearly every American economic entomologist 

 have been drawn upon ; but especial mention should 

 be made of the help obtained from the publications 

 of Dr. C. V. Riley, United States entomologist, whose 

 remarkable investigations during the last quarter of 

 a century have placed him foremost among the 

 world's economic entomologists. A large proportion 

 of the insect life-histories summarized in the follow- 

 ing pages were first worked out by him, or under 

 his direction. Mention should also bo made of the 



