240 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Daring the early years of its operations in this country, ic Avas esti- 

 mated that its rate of distribution wojuld be about twenty miles a year. 

 Tliis rate of progress, however, has not been sustained. About twenty- 

 five years have passed since its introduction, and during that time, it 

 has not extended to any great distance from the sea-coast, where most 

 of our larger asparagus plantations occur. As yet, we only hear of its 

 serious injuries from Long Island, the vicinity of New York city. New 

 Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern Connecticut. It doubtless 

 exists beyond these limits, but I find no published statements of its 

 presence elsewhere. We have not yet observed it in the vicinity of 

 Albany. 



Its Introduction into the United States, 



The asparagus beetle is one of the many injurious insects which have 

 been brought to this country from Europe, and it is among the latest 

 imported. It is not known how long it had existed in Europe, or 

 where it originated, but there is reason to believe that for several cent- 

 uries it had no general distribution. Asparagus had been cultivated in 

 Europe from a very early date — at least GO years before the Christian 

 Era. It was held in much favor by the Greeks, and the Ilomans must 

 have acquired great skill in its production, for according to Pliny, 

 three shoots of that grown at Ravenna weighed a j^ound. Linnaeus 

 states {loc. cit.), that the gardeners believe that the beetle was 

 imported from Russia, but that it was never known as obnoxious there. 

 Fr. Th. Koppen, in his Obnoxious Insects of Russia, p. 273, 1880, 

 states that Crioccris asparagi is sometimes common in Russia and the 

 Caucasus, but never proves obnoxious. 



In this country it was first noticed at Astoria, near the western end 

 of Long Island, in the year 1859, the same year in Avhich the first 

 specimen of the imported cabbage-butterfly [Pieris rapm) was cap- 

 tured by Mr. Couper, within the city limits of Quebec. The actual 

 importation of the two species was probably three or four years earlier, 

 in 1856 or 1857. Mr. Ulke is j-eported to have taken some specimens 

 of the beetle in or near the city of New York as early as the year 1858 

 or 1859. 



Its Spread Throughout Long Island. 



In 18G0 it proved moderately destructive at Astoria, increasing its 

 injuries the following year, and the third year, destroying the grown 

 plants to the extent of killing the roots and necessitating the plowing 

 up of the beds. 



In 1862, it had spread as a serious pest over all the asparagus plan- 

 tations of Queens county. Long Island. The attention of Dr. Fitch 

 was called to the invasion. He visited the locality for the purpose of 



