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The occurrence of wireworms in wheat in numbers sufficient to 

 attract the attention of the farmers has been reported from Wash- 

 ington county by Mr. J. J. Nussbaumer. The specimens sent by 

 him from wheat fields are of a different species from that infesting 

 the corn at Champaign,— one of which we have bred none to the 

 imago, and which consequently cannot be specifically determined. 



Five or six acres of wheat were co;npletely destroyed in one field, 

 the plant being eaten off just above the root ; and Mr. Nussbaumer 

 estimated that throughout that entire neighborhood an average of 

 one acre in forty had been so destroyed. 



The very common blister beetles (Meloidce) were far more abund- 

 ant this year than usual, — a fact doubtless to be connected with the 

 extraordinary abundance of grasshoppers, upon the eggs of which 

 their larvoe are well known to feed. The species most frequently 

 mentioned in our notes of injuries to crops are the so-called 

 "old-fashioned potato beetle," or striped blister beetle {Epicauta 

 vittata), the margined blister beetle {Epicauta cinerea), and the com- 

 mon black blister beetle {Epicauta pcnnsylvamca) . The last is yearly 

 abundant, feeding in autumn upon the flowers of the golden 

 rod and other composite plants ; but the other two species are more 

 variable in their numbers. The abundance of Epicauta j^ennsijlvajiica 

 was noticed as early as the 4th of July, at which time we found it 

 feeding upon the leaves of the honey locust. In August, it was very 

 common in corn fields, associated with the tw'o other species, all of 

 which were feeding freely upon the fresh silk of corn, doing thus 

 apparently a very considerable mischief by preventing the fertiliza- 

 tion of the kernels, and partially blighting the ear. Rarely, also^ 

 we saw the black species eating the kernels at the top of the ear.. 

 The striped blister beetle, likewise common in corn, was more abundant 

 upon potatoes and tomatoes, often stripping these plants of their leaves.. 

 The margined blister beetle was also noticed in July and August feed- 

 ing upon potatoes and tomatoes, sometimes more abundant than 

 the striped species. In corn fields it attacks an allied weed, 

 the common ground cherry {Physalis viscosa). 



The CORN ROOT WORM {Diabrotica lovgicornis) seems certainly nc 

 less abundant than heretofore, although farmers who have adopted 

 the practice of frequent rotation are rarely subject to its injuries. 



An extension of the injury of this insect to other crops than- 

 corn was inferred by me from the abundance of the species in a 

 field of Indian corn, near Champaign, with the following history. 

 After several years in corn and sorghum, alternating at varying in- 

 tervals, this field had been planted to sorghum in the spring, fol- 

 lowing a crop of sorghum. The planting failed, however, and the 

 ground was replanted to corn for fodder, which was fed down by 

 stock in the fall. Following this the field was again planted to 

 corn last spring, and in July I found there abundant evidence of 

 the presence of the corn root worm, in numbers sufficient to pro- 

 duce a very considerable injury to the crop. 



Early in September, an assistant, Mr. Hunt, visited a broom- 

 corn field near Champaign, which had produced only about half the 



