418 FOKTT-EIGHTH KEPORT ON THE STATE MD8EUM 



the handful. Many of the rooms of the house abounded with them to 

 the extent that their frequent gathering with a broom was necessary. 

 At the time of writing, August 24th, they were not quite so numerous 

 as Ihey had been about the first of the month. In May of 1889 they 

 again reappeared and gave promise of being more numerous than 

 before. A number of other houses in the vicinity had also become 

 infested. 



As a Strawberry Pest. 

 Very little has been recorded of the life-history of this insect, 

 particularly of that portion which is of the greater economic import- 

 ance, viz., the larval food-habits. Dr. C M. Weed had observed the 

 larva^ girdling the crowns of strawberry plants on the grounds of the 

 Michigan Agricultural College, in May and June. The name of the 

 " strawberry crown-girdler " was proposed for it, as, instead of burrow- 

 ing into and excavating the crown as does the "strawberry crown- 

 borer," Tyloderma fragarice (Riley), " it seems to prefer the outer 

 portion, but in many cases it cuts horizontally through the center of 

 the crown." The mature insect, the beetle, seems to be somewhat of a 

 general feeder, as, according to Miss Clarkson's statement, it was 

 destructive to the foliage of roses and other shrubbery; but no other 

 record of the larval food is known to us than the one above cited. 



The Insect Destructive to Cabbage. 



During the year, the insect has come to our notice as a serious 



cabbage pest. Examples of the beetle were received from R. J. Dimon, 



M. D., of Hastings, Oswego county, N. Y., on August 15th, through 



Dr. Collier, of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, for 



name. Dr. Dimon kindly sent me, under date of October 11th, the 



following information in regard to its operations. 



I have been observing its habits and effects for some time. It 

 commences its attack on the cabbage soon after it is established in the 

 field. The first indications are the turning yellow, then brown, of some 

 of the bottom leaves. The beetles are found on the ground under 

 leaves as soon as the head begins to form. Rotten leaves appear, and 

 sometimes one side of the head rots off entirely. When they do not 

 commence their attack so early, the head forms nicely and nearly 

 attains its growth, when the rot appears and the leaves separate from 

 the heart. The cabbages thus infested are a total loss, and nearly one- 

 half of my field of" two thousand plants was ruined in this manner, this 

 year. The injury seems to be done by both the beetle and the grub. 

 I have taken fifty beetles from under a single leaf which had turned 

 brown from their drawing the sap from it; and later, the stalk is found 

 punctured and filled with little white larvaj, about one-third of an inch 

 long, which destroy the center of the stalk and leave it a foul smell- 



