7 
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154 
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ene rop of wheat was sown between the 15th and 20th of Saplariber Vay October — . Ps 
28 (ully one-fourth of the growing plants had been destroyed by the wire-worms, _ he 
and a, great deal of damage had been done by the pest elsewhere in his locality. — 4 
Mr. G. A. Applegate, of Mount Carmel, Ind., ina recent communication gives a ia 
rather abnormal instance, from which he states that the worst infested field in his ~ 
vicinity was in Hungarian grass this year, the stubble turned over and the wheat 
sowed. This land was in corn two years, rye sowed among the corn the second 
year, and this followed by Hungarian grass, as stated. shiny 
Personally, we have had no favorable opportunity to study the habits of the spe- . | 
cies in any of its stages further than to remark its abundance in the adult stage 
during May about low grounds on the prairies, particularly those of Tlinois. There _ : 
we have swept the beetles in great numbers at night from low, dwarfed examples — - 
of the two species of willow, Salix discolor, Mahl., and S. petiolaris, Sm.,and have > 
also found them in great abundance under the débris deposited by suddenly swollen 
streams which ran through low prairie land. vat aN 
It will be observed that the three preventive measures, spring plowing, summer 
fallow, and fall plowing, all figure in the notes here given, showing that whatever 
virtue these measures may possess lies in their being applied at some particular time 
and in a particularly thor ough manner, | 
REPORT UPON THE INSECTS OF THE SEASON IN IOWA. 
By Pror. HERBERT OSBORN, Special Agent. p 
AmeEs, Iowa, November 30, 1887. +S 
Str: I herewith transmit to you my report of cee for the summer of 
1887. I desire to express my thanks to you and your assistants for the determina- 
tion of doubtful specimens, and for the many other favors which you have been so 
ready to grant. 
Respectfuily, 
HERBERT OSBORN, 
Prot. C. V. RILEY, 9 
U. S. Entomologist. 
THE TURF WEB-WORM OR SOD-WORM. 
(Crambus exsiceatus, Zeller, var.) i 
My attention was first called to this insect, which has proven a most serious pest 
the present season, by a note from Mr. Henry Barnes, who owns a farm near Gil- 
bert, Story County. Under date of May 24 he writes: ay; 
' 
Dear Sir: Inclosed I send you bottle,in which are some specimens of a worm 
that is making sad havoc with our sod-corn. They eat the stalk off beneath the 
surface and many of the leaves are punctured full of holes. In some parts of the , 
field nearly every hill is infested with the ‘‘ varmints.” Can you tell us how long — 
they are likely to continue their depr edations, so we can tell whether it will pay us to 
replant? The land from which the specimens were taken was seeded down some 
eight years since, and was mainly blue grass and white clover. Has been used for 
a sheep pasture about six years. Was underdrained and broken up last fall and this 
spring, and planted to corn with the above result. Will be greatly obliged for any 
information you can give us on the subject, and should be pleased to hear from you 
as scon as you can make it convenient, so that in case you can suggest anything 
likely to relieve us of the pest or enable us to escape his work we may have time to 
avail ourselves of the knowledge. 
Yours, respectfully, 
HENRY BARNES. 
.In reply I recommended replanting and stated briefly the probable history of the - «- 
insect. This reply was published in the State Register, and shortly after the fol- 
lowing letter was received: 
Osstan, Towa, June 9, 1887. 
Sir: I have seen your answer to Mr. Barnes in the State Register of June 3. Now, 
my corn has been destroyed in precisely the same way. It was Apso on the 8th 
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