126 Forty- FIFTH Report on the State Museum. 



The cow-horn fly, Hoematohia serrata R. Desv., which has been 

 noticed in a former report, has made its appearance in a few, but 

 widely separated, localities in the State, and its speedy general 

 distribution may therefore be looked for, unless the measures 

 recommended for the prevention of its increase shall be generally 

 adopted. 



A new onion pest attacked the onion crop at Canastota, in Cen- 

 tral New York, during the month of June. It was a dark-colored 

 caterpillar of over an inch in length, which fed on the plants 

 above ground, and overran the large fields of onions in the muck 

 lands about Canastota, feeding also on weeds and other vegeta- 

 tion. It was at first thought to be the same cut- worm that in the 

 vear 1885 was so exceedingly destructive in the extensive onion 

 fields in Goshen and vicinity in Orange county. But its critical 

 examination indicated it to be a different species, viz., Agrotis 

 ypsilon (Rott.), and the subsequent rearing of the moth proved it 

 to be that common insect, which had not been recognized before 

 as an onion feeder. 



From Chenango county an estimate was received of twenty per 

 cent injury to corn from cut-worms — the species not identified. 



Epilachna horealis (Fabr.), the northern lady-bug — quite 

 exceptional in its family for its injurious habits, has again been 

 destructive this year in its extraordinary numbers, to melon and 

 squash vines upon Long Island. 



Most of the above, together with others not here referred to, 

 are noticed in the body of the report. 



It gives me pleasure to report an increasing interest each year 

 shown by the people of the State in the work of this Department. 

 This is particularly marked on the part of the agricultural commu- 

 nity, who are thoroughly awakened to the importance of protect- 

 ing their crops from the steadily increasing hosts of their insect 

 enemies. So frequent are the requests from farmers and fruit-, 

 growers for information and for aid, that almost my entire time 

 during the year has been occupied in the study of these successive 

 attacks, and of the best methods for their control. While service 

 rendered in this direction is beyond question quite as valuable as 

 any other that may be given, still it is necessary that a certain 

 amount of purely scientific work should accompany economic 



