14 



these particular plants, and these were destroj'ed after being cut oif , 

 presumably by being crushed under foot. One of the attendants stated 

 that the plants had also been dosed with a strong to))acco wash, which 

 probablj' affected such larvae as might have remained on the plants. 



July 23, 1897, Mr. F. C. Pratt found numerous individuals of the moths 

 as well as larv» on celery at Brookland, D. C. An average of about 

 three pupa? were found spun up in the leaves at the tops of all the 

 3'oung plants, and when the plants were ])rushed with a stick or by 

 hand the moths "rose up in clouds.'"' The owner of the place where 

 the insects were at work stated that this species had ])een a most 

 troublesome pest the previous year; its habit of feeding upon the tops 

 of the celer}^ greatly lessened its mai-ket ^alue. It was liis lirst year 

 in celery raising in that locality, and he had conceived the idea that it 

 would not be profitable to raise that crop there. In succeeding years, 

 however, there was a decided decrease in the iunn])ers of this l(>af- 

 t3^er. When the place was visited by the ^vriter in ISO!) and in 1!>00 

 the insects were comparatively rare. 



During January and F(>bruary, 189(S, this species was the subject of 

 correspondence between this Division, the Florists' Review, of Chi- 

 cago, 111., and Mr. Robert Mearns. a florist, of Toronto, Canada. The 

 latter sent specimens in all stages, with the report that this insect was 

 doing much damage to plant life in the greenhouses of some of the 

 florists in that city. The florists were ver}^ anxious to learn of an 

 effective remedy for the pest. Larva? were particularl}^ destructive 

 to heliotrope, wallflower, violet, and geranium. 



April 28, specimens of the moth and pupa of the greenhouse leaf-tyer 

 were sent to this office by Mr. 8. S. Wilson, Libonia, Franklin County, 

 Pa., with the statement that the larva was very injurious to green- 

 house plants, such as geraniums and dahlias. From this lot one moth 

 was obtained April 30. May 17, the same gentleman made another 

 sending of material and, in response to inquir}^, furnished a list of the 

 plants affected in his greenhouses. This list includes Ageratum, 

 geranium, German ivy, Kenilworth ivy, ground ivy, dahlia, Justicea, 

 chrysanthemums. Cineraria hyhrida, anemone, cabbage, Matricaria, 

 Passifloras, Plumbago, Ruellia, Tydtea, daisy, Lobelia, Veronica irnpe- 

 rialis^ Lantana and Deutzia. Larvfe were first noticed at that place 

 about the 1st of January, in 1898, on Ageratiun in a hot place in one 

 of the greenhouses, and next upon geraniums. At the time of this 

 writing it was feared that if their ravages were not checked the}' would 

 eat all the near-by plants. It was noticed that they had a special fond- 

 ness for forming their cocoon-like pupal (^ases on Anemone jajyon ica. 



May 11, 1898, Mr. Pratt called the writer's attention to the great 

 numbers of the moths of this species that were present in a large field 

 of rhubarb at Tennallytown, D. C. When the field was visited again 

 on the 17th it was found that this was by far the most abundant spe- 



