718 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



insect in the "flaxseed" state by E. W. Claypole of IVlIow 

 Springs O. and oui- observations subsequently conflnned his 

 experience. The intense heat had not only dessicated the 

 Cecidomyia but what is still more remarkable, in most cases 

 the parasites also. 



On the other hand wet weather favors their development and 

 under the influence of frequent showers the flies have been 

 known to issue in large numbers from their " flaxseed " 

 cases in early summer. This was very nicely illustrated 

 last July in case of the barley attack. The continued rains 

 in the spring induced the flies to complete their trans- 

 formations early and July 10 a number of places were seen 

 where the spring brood of the fly had completed its transforma- 

 tions and departed. This was further confirmed bj^ finding sev- 

 eral large fields of barley sown about May 15, badly infested 

 with larvae and young puparia of this insect. The barley 

 attack was confined largely to the upper, softer nodes and in 

 at least one large field the infestation was very thorough. 

 Every stalk was infested with a few of the pests and eight 

 plants taken at random from this field contained from 19 to 

 54 individuals, most of them being in the larval stage. This 

 serious infestation is very interesting when compared with 

 the following record of the weather in two localities in that 

 section of the state. The table given below is compiled from 

 the records of the New York state weather bureau and shows 

 the total precipitation in each of the growing months and the 

 number of rainy days. 



TABLE OF PlCECIPrrATION 



