244 Forty-ninth Report on the State Museum 



that had been causing much damage to tobacco in Southern Russia, and 

 named by Dr. Lindeman as Thrips tabaci. It had probably been brought 

 to this country many years ago, in infested onions or cabbages, and dis- 

 tributed throughout the States by railroad transportation. 



Occurs on Many Food-Plants. 



This species has been commonly recorded as depredating on the tops 

 of onions, and its injuries have been quite serious at times, as in the in- 

 stance reported by Dr. Packard, where in 1872, one-tenth of the crops of 

 Essex Co., Mass., was destroyed by it at an estimated loss of $10,000. 

 In some localities it has proved so destructive that the growing of the 

 ■crop has been abandoned. Next to onions, its preference seems to be 

 ifor cabbage. It might be thought that this was a recently acquired 

 taste, lor during the space of twenty years no record appears of its being 

 found upon this plant — the first such publication being that made by me in 

 1892, in the Country Gentleman, as above cited. It seems, however, that 

 Mr. Pergande has found it recorded in his notes, as occurring in the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia and in Virginia, during the years 1882 to 1888, on the 

 leaves of cabbages.* In 1894 its operations on cabbage were studied by 

 Messrs Sirrine and Lowe, of the N, Y. Agricultural Experiment Station 

 on Long Island. It was not very harmful to the cabbage, as it attacked 

 and killed mainly the outer leaves, and deserted them the latter part of 

 September for onion fields. 



Messrs Osborn and Mally {loc. cit.) have named fifteen food-plants on 

 which the insect occurs. Although little special attention has been given 

 to its food-habits, other writers have so largely added to the number that 

 it hardly seems worth the while to publish a list ranging through so many 

 of the orders which presumably rests principally on their accidental de- 

 tection and identification upon the plant named. The following may be 

 given as a list of the plants on which they have been observed, so far as 

 recorded : 



Cabbage. Sweet clover {^Melilotus alba). 



Kale. Cinquefoil {Potentilla). 



Cauliflower. Stonecrop (? Sedum). 



Turnip. Squash. 



Candy-tuft (^Iberis). Cucumber, 



Mignonette [Reseda odorata). Melons. 



Nasturtium [Tropceolicm). Parsley {Canon satin/ m). 



* Insect L7/1', vii, 1895, p. 394. 



