. es 
2 FARMERS’ BULLETIN 649, 
on the accompanying map (fig. 1), showing its known distribution up 
to the present time. 
Several years ago studies were made of the insect and its attacks 
upon clover, although up to that time it had not been known to 
destroy this crop, or even to affect it seriously. Ap- 
parently, however, it was likely to become suffi-. 
ciently abundant at any time to work serious in- 
jury, and for this reason Mr. V. L. Wildermuth, 
an assistant in cereal and forage insect investiga- 
tions, prepared a paper which was published on 
March 7, 1910, as a bulletin of the Bureau of 
Entomology.t At that time there had hardly 
sufficient evidence accumulated to give this paper 
, any considerable economic importance. It seems, 
Big. 2. The clover-root however, that injuries that had either remained 
Greatly enlarged. unnoticed or else had been placed to the credit of 
(From Wildermuth.) some other pests were partly or wholly due to 
the work of the larva or 
grub of this beetle. As 
this insect shows a dispo- 
sition to occur in continu- 
ally increasing abundance 
along roadsides and im 
clover fields, and as it has, 
during the last year, been 
found to commit serious 
depredations in fields of 
alfalfa, it seems desirable 
that printed information 
be made available for dis- 
tribution among farmers, 
who are likely to suffer 
more or less from ravages 
of the pest. 
WHAT THE INSECT IS LIKE. 
The fully developed in- 
sect is a beetle (fig. 2) which 
attacks the leaves of clover 
(fig. 3, b) and alfalfa. The 
line at the right of figure 2 
‘ Fie, 3.—The clover-root curculio: a, Red clover root showing 
shows the natural length Of effects of attack by larvie; b, red clover leaf showing work of 
the beetle, and the eaten adults. About naturalsize. (From Wildermuth.) 
leaves (fig. 3, b) are plainly to be seen, especially durmg September 
1 Wildermuth, V.L. The clover-root curculio (Sitones hispidulus Fab.). U.S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Ent., 
Bul. 85, Pt. ITI, p. 29-38, fig. 15-19, March 7, 1910. 
