THE ASPARAGUS MINER, 6 



In 1900 WO received complaint of injuries in the District of Columbia, 

 and from Knoxville, Tenn., and in the meantime the species came 

 under the observation of Mr. F. A. Sirrine, who has stated" that work 

 was first observed in asparagus fields on Long Island in 1896. This 

 statement is made in a bulletin of six pages, which represents all that 

 was known of the species at that time. 



Late in Septeml)er, 1900, word was received from Mr. Frederic 

 Voigt, Tennallytown, D. C, of injury to the stalks of asparagus on 

 his and a neighboring truck farm. When the writer visited the 

 field, however, although injury was apparent on the outer skin of 

 some stalks, no living specimens could be obtained, only the dried 

 puparia being in evidence at this time. October 2 of the same year, 

 Mr. Samuel M. Bain, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Tenn., sent 

 a stalk of asparagus showing the work of this miner upon the skin, 

 and, October 27, specimens of the dried puparia. 



February 18, 1901, Mr. T. Miles Brous, Bustleton, Philadelphia, Pa., 

 wrote that this insect, which he accuratel}^ described, seemed to cause 

 much greater trouble than the common asparagus beetle. A neighbor 

 had lost two or three new beds of asparagus on account of its ravages. 



By the writer's direction, Mr. F. C. Pratt visited a large truck farm 

 at Brookland, D. C, where asparagus was one of the main crops, June 

 18, 1902. Asparagus was still being cut for market, but volunteer 

 plants were growing here and there in fields of corn, cantaloupe, and 

 potatoes, between rows. A few flies were seen on terminal shoots of 

 asparagus that showed wilting, and many volunteer plants were found 

 badly infested, most individuals having transformed to pupa?. 

 Although stems break oE just below the ground, the entire colony of 

 insects below that point is left with sufficient moisture and nourish- 

 ment for their maintenance. The puparia were present in great 

 numbers underneath the outer skin of the root, and as many as nine 

 puparia were counted in a space only an inch long on one stalk. The 

 stalks below the point of injury appeared to be perfectl}" sound. 

 LarvBB also were found in rotting stalks that broke off just below ground. 



During 1905 Mr. Ralph E. Smith reported this species as becoming 

 abundant in California, though not of an}- great importance at that 

 time. His description of the insects' manner of work leaves no doubt 

 as to the identit}^ of the species.* 



RECENT INJURY. 



During September, 1906. Messrs. J. B. Norton and A. D. Shamel, 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, furnished stems of asparagus from 

 Concord, Mass., showing severe infestation by this species, many 



«Bul. 189, X. Y. Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 277, Geneva, 1900. 

 «>Bul. 165, Univ. of Cal. Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 96, 1905. 



