390 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 9 



of any one or more of them has been estabhshed, careful scientific 

 work on their rehxtive food value must be carried out. 



Two kinds of insects from the viewpoint of abundance and possible 

 food value at once suggest themselves, namely, grasshoppers and the 

 larvae of Lachnosterna in this country and of Melolontha in Europe — 

 the so-called "white grubs." 



Grasshoppers have been eaten by so many different peoples that 

 their value as food may readily be accepted, but with white grubs it 

 is reasonable to suppose that the civilized world will have to be con- 

 vinced. They abound in all grain-growing regions of the United 

 States, and a boy following the plough, if their edibility is once estab- 

 lished, would be able to pick up a day's rations for the family in a short 

 time. 



With all this in view I have been carrying on a few experiments which 

 I think should be placed on record. 



Recently Mr. J. J. Davis, with the help of Professor J. G. Sanders, 

 collected the larvce of Lachnosterna near Madison, Wisconsin, and Mr. 

 Davis prepared them by clipping off the extreme anal end, at the same 

 time holding them under a running stream of water and pressing the 

 body gently to remove the grit and intestinal parts, leaving them, pure 

 white pieces of flesh. They were then placed in a pint jar of salty 

 water (one and one-half teaspoons of salt to a pint of water), and then 

 sterilized under an autoclave at twenty pounds for thirty minutes. 

 They were then sent to Washington in a glass jar. On arrival in 

 Washington they were turned over to Dr. C. F. Langworthy, Chief 

 of the Office of Home Economics of the States Relations Service, of 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture, who, after straining the grubs 

 through a salt solution, washed them in cold water. He then removed 

 the heads from half of them that one might judge whether one form 

 was to be preferred, or whether both were alike good. They were 

 treated generously with a French dressing made of salt, oil and vinegar, 

 seasoned with white pepper, paprika and salt. Judging that an acid 

 flavor would make the salad more palatable, the proportion of vinegar 

 to oil was rather larger than the usual ratio of one to four or five. 



He then made a broth by cooking the liquor strained from the grubs 

 (approximately one-half pint, diluted with one gill of water) with one 

 half onion and seasoned with a tablespoonful of butter and a few 

 shreds of lettuce (a heaping teaspoonful) . 



The salad was eaten by Messrs. C. H. Popenoe, W\ B. Wood, F. H. 

 Chittenden, E. B. O'Leary, R. C. Althouse, W. R. Walton, C. E. 

 Wolfe, and Herbert S. Barber of the Bureau of Entomology and Ver- 

 non Bailey of the Bureau of Biological Survey, as well as the writer. 

 It was found very palatable, although in chewing, all of us discarded 



