﻿THE 
  ECONOMIC 
  ENTOMOLOGY 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUGAR 
  

  

  BEET.* 
  

  

  New 
  enterprises, 
  — 
  new 
  difficulties; 
  new 
  crops, 
  — 
  new 
  insect 
  enemies 
  

   and 
  old 
  enemies 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  role. 
  The 
  recent 
  introduction 
  and 
  rapid 
  

   extension 
  of 
  sugar-beet 
  culture 
  in 
  America 
  have 
  brought 
  to 
  general 
  

   notice 
  several 
  insect 
  species 
  not 
  before 
  known 
  as 
  injurious, 
  and 
  have 
  

   given 
  a 
  new 
  food 
  to 
  others 
  well 
  known 
  for 
  their 
  attacks 
  on 
  the 
  older 
  

   crops. 
  

  

  The 
  beet 
  plant 
  is 
  very 
  similar 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  insects 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  

   commonest 
  weeds, 
  and 
  hence 
  it 
  has 
  attracted 
  the 
  prompt 
  attention 
  of 
  

   several 
  species 
  which, 
  if 
  we 
  have 
  noticed 
  them 
  at 
  all, 
  we 
  have 
  hitherto 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  our 
  friends; 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  also 
  served 
  to 
  give 
  additional 
  variety 
  

   to 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  several 
  crop 
  insects 
  of 
  somewhat 
  general 
  feeding 
  habits. 
  

   It 
  has 
  thus 
  already 
  recruited 
  a 
  large 
  entomological 
  following 
  — 
  about 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  species 
  in 
  America, 
  if 
  we 
  put 
  upon 
  the 
  list 
  everything 
  

   which 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  beet 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  Most 
  

   of 
  these, 
  of 
  course, 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  called 
  injurious 
  in 
  the 
  economic 
  sense, 
  

   but 
  with 
  our 
  present 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  about 
  forty 
  species 
  may 
  

   be 
  definitely 
  so 
  classed. 
  Furthermore, 
  we 
  may 
  expect 
  additions 
  to 
  this 
  

   list 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  since 
  the 
  necessary 
  concentration 
  of 
  beet 
  culture 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  factories 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  devotion 
  of 
  large 
  

   areas 
  to 
  this 
  crop 
  year 
  after 
  year 
  for 
  an 
  indefinite 
  period 
  give 
  oppor- 
  

   tunity 
  for 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  multiplication 
  and 
  a 
  continuous 
  maintenance 
  

  

  *This 
  paper 
  (printed 
  also 
  as 
  Bulletin 
  No. 
  60 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station) 
  consists 
  

   essentially 
  of 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  published 
  knowledge 
  concerning 
  insect 
  injuries 
  to 
  the 
  sugar 
  beet 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  but 
  includes 
  also 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  studies 
  of 
  beet 
  insects 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Ento- 
  

   mologist 
  and 
  under 
  his 
  direction 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1898 
  and 
  1899, 
  together 
  with 
  various 
  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   species 
  treated 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  office 
  records 
  of 
  observation 
  and 
  experiment. 
  It 
  is 
  my 
  intention 
  to 
  

   follow 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  this 
  preliminary 
  report 
  with 
  continuous 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  year 
  after 
  year, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  to 
  make 
  insecticide 
  experiments 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  cheapest 
  poisons 
  

   and 
  methods 
  and 
  apparatus 
  of 
  application 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  sugar-beet 
  field. 
  

  

  I 
  shall 
  be 
  extremely 
  obliged 
  to 
  sugar-beet 
  growers 
  of 
  Illinois 
  and 
  adjacent 
  states 
  for 
  prompt 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  insect 
  injuries 
  in 
  their 
  beet 
  fields 
  and 
  for 
  any 
  other 
  helpful 
  datn. 
  

  

  