135 



Tilt' fiiiiall lnoAvu latlybiiil is Scymtiim collnris Mi-l.sli.. aiitl tli«' laijicr sjiottrd one is 

 Hippodamia converaenn Guer. 



Nothing but the skins and wcl)8 of till' spidi'is w«'i»' ivct-ived. and from these the 

 specios can not he determined. — [Sejitemher 18. 1891.] 



An injurious Flea-beetle in Utah. 



First i.kttkk. — I inelose some insi-ets whieh are doing considerahl*' damage to 

 young tomato jdauts and young heans. Thi'y feed ehiefly on the; under side of the 

 leaves, but feed on both sides during the m iddh' of the day. At night they shelter them- 

 selves under clods, especially where the plants are coming up. They crawl under the 

 uplifted crust and not only shelter themselves but feed on the young plant before it 

 gets above ground. Will you be so kind as to tell me what it is, and whether or not 

 its life history is known? 



I first tried spraying with Paris green, but the plants were so small that I could 

 not wet the under side of the leaves. Am now using arsenic mixed with flour and 

 applying with bellows, but have not yet had time to note its ettect. — [E. 8. Richman, 

 Utah, June 9, 1891. 



Second letter. — When I wrote you before I said 1 should try Paris green mixed 

 with flour, but as I could not get the article in town I used white arsenic, and the 

 application was followed almost immediately by a rain which killed over half the 

 plants. I have since used kerosene emulsion with good results. Plants should be 

 sprayed during the middle of the day while the insects are active. During the 

 cooler portions of the day thej^ have sheltered under clods and whatever rubbish 

 may be available.— [E. S. Richman, Utah, July 3, 1891. 



Reply. — The specimens came safely and proved to be a species known as Epitrix 

 subcrinita Lee. Your account of your experience/is very interesting and the results 

 are quite what I should have anticipated. — [July 11, 1891.] 



A new^ Enemy to Pear Leaves. 



In going through our pear trees, we noticed a little black-winged insect that was 

 eating the soft leaves and doing considerable damage, considering their numbers. 

 We inclose samples of both the insects and the leaves. Possibly you can tell us 

 what they are and whether there is any way in which we can get rid of them, for 

 evidently if they are undisturbed they will become quite a nuisance. — [Smiths and 

 Powell, New York, August 11, 1891. 



Reply. — * * ^ The insect which you send has no common name, but is known 

 scientifically as Systena frontaUH Fabr. It is comparatively new in the r61e of an 

 enemy to pear leaves, and the best remedy will be to spray with Paris green or Lon- 

 don purple m the proportion of one-fourth pound of the poison to 50 gallons of 

 water.— [August 26, 1891.] 



Abundance of Colorado Potato Beetle in Greorgia. 



- » * The Colorado Potato Beetle was very numerous in this part this season. 

 It is the first time I have seen them in any great numbers. I first observed them 

 about twelve or thirteen years ago; Just a few straggling specimens every year until 

 this one. I do not believe any one took the trouble to kill them, as but very few 

 know them when they see them. — [George Noble, Georgia, July 31, 1891. 



A Grapevine Plea-beetle of New Mexico 



Inclosed find box of bugs that ajipeared here on the evening of the 24th of this 

 month. They came out of the ground from small holes, similar to those of ants, but 

 came by the millions. They are devouring the grapevines. They strip a vine in 

 about two hours. So far they have not attacked any other class of vegetation. W^hat 

 are thev and what will rid us of them? 1 have killed millions of them by spraying 



