LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



State Experiment Station, 

 St. Anthony Park, Minn., 



December 1, 1912. 

 To His Excellency, A. 0. Eberhardt, St. Paul, Mimi. 



Dear Sir: — I have the honour to submit herewith the Four- 

 teenth Report of the State Entomologist of Minnesota, covering 

 work of this office and insect conditions during 1911 and 1912. 



During the year 1911 we experienced a culmination of grass- 

 hopper injuries begun in 1909 and 1910 and had it not been for op- 

 portune rains occuring in May and June, Minnesota would have 

 lost, in 1912, thousands of dollars from the depredations of this in- 

 sect. The present year has seen but little loss from this pest, but 

 two or three dry summers in succession, similar to 1910 and 1911, 

 will again furnish us with enormous hordes of these destructive 

 pests to agriculture. 



We have carried on field work during 1911 and 1912 against 

 these insects and are glad to report successful results in that we 

 have found a method (a modification of that practised in South 

 Africa) by which the individual farmer can protect his crops from 

 excessive grasshopper injuries. Several thousand posters describ- 

 ing this method have been mailed to farmers over the state. For 

 full account of this work see page 1. 



In this connection, since their abundance in destructive numbers 

 depends largely upon the abundance of grasshoppers, upon the 

 eggs of which they feed when young, we may well mention here 

 the occurrence of one or more species of Blister Beetles. In 1911, 

 beginning about June 1st, they became exceedingly abundant and 

 destructive. They are general feeders, attacking potatoes, peas, 

 clover, grain, shrubbery and particularly alfalfa. For detailed dis- 

 cussion of this pest, see page 44. 



In 1911 Cut Worms of several species were extremely numer- 

 ous and destructive. This we believe was due to two causes, pri- 

 marily because the preceding season was dry and not conducive to 



