Eighth Report of the State Entomologist. 231 



themselves upon you, and compel battle with them if you would not 

 permit them to wrest from you often the entire results of a season's 

 toil ? Fortunately, your Secretary has kindly extricated me from 

 this dilemma in sugggesting to me a few insects upon which a 

 desire has been expressed by several of your number, for informa- 

 tion that wUl prove serviceable in arresting widespread and seri- 

 ous depredations, 



I will ask your attention, firsts to a class of insects which — 

 although occurring abundantly in almost every portion of our 

 country, everywhere occasioning serious losses, and although vol- 

 umes have been written of them — are yet very imperfectly known 

 by those who are suffering from their depredations. 



CdT WOKMS. 



Before we can contend successfully with our insect foes, it is 

 necessary to know who and what they are. There is no imiversal 

 panacea for insect injuries. The natural history and habits of 

 each species requires separate study, and not until we have 

 become acquainted with all the conditions of their existence are 

 we prepared to make recommendation of the best means to be 

 employed against them. So varied are these conditions, even 

 among the members, often, of the same genus, that a 

 remedy that will be efficient with one will be powerless against 

 another. The bearing of these remarks will be evident when we 

 state that, not unfrequently, a reported " cut-worm " attack proves, 

 upon examination, to be that of quite a different insect, — perhaps 

 that of the "white-grub" or some allied coleopterous larva, — of 

 one of the many species of "wire-worms," the larva? of our 

 " snapping beetles," — or it may be of a " thousand-legged worm," 

 which does not even belong to the class of insects. The nature of 

 the injury committed by these several forms is much the same; 

 roots are eaten, or stalks and blades are cut off, and it is believed 

 to be caused by a cut-worm. Surely, guessing at the cause of an 

 injury is incompatible with scientific treatment for its arrest. 

 Whenever, therefore, any unknown form of insect attack presents 

 itself to the farmer, the gardener, the horticulturist, the florist, — 

 let him first learn the particular depredator he has to deal with,. 



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