﻿strips 
  beside 
  the 
  large 
  scutellum, 
  and 
  are 
  marked 
  

   by 
  a 
  slender 
  line 
  of 
  white. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  

   the 
  adults, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  grayish 
  brown 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  visible, 
  and 
  the 
  wings, 
  of 
  course, 
  wanting 
  

   or 
  rudimentary. 
  It 
  is 
  often 
  abundant 
  in 
  grain 
  

   fields 
  and 
  in 
  grass, 
  but 
  congregates 
  especially 
  

  

  Fig. 
  27. 
  The 
  Common 
  

  

  upon 
  certain 
  common 
  weeds, 
  the 
  Spanish 
  needle 
  Negro-bug, 
  corimdaina 
  

   {Bidens) 
  being 
  apparently 
  its 
  favorite 
  food. 
  puUcaria. 
  adult, 
  natural 
  

  

  , 
  size 
  and 
  enlarged. 
  

  

  Smartweed, 
  pigweed, 
  and 
  rib-grass 
  \Flantago 
  lan- 
  

  

  ceolata) 
  are 
  also 
  much 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  it. 
  We 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  on 
  young 
  corn 
  

   in 
  May 
  doing 
  considerable 
  injury, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  blue-grass 
  meadows, 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  injuring 
  them. 
  Unlike 
  most 
  equally 
  abundant 
  Hemiptera 
  this 
  insect 
  

   seems 
  to 
  develop 
  but 
  one 
  brood 
  a 
  year. 
  It 
  winters 
  as 
  an 
  adult, 
  begins 
  

   to 
  breed 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  June, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  

   practically 
  all 
  full 
  grown. 
  

  

  Substance 
  of 
  leaf 
  o}- 
  stem 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  eaten 
  away. 
  Injuries 
  by 
  biting 
  

   insects. 
  

  

  Leaves 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  ground. 
  

  

  THE 
  CUTWORMS. 
  

   Agrotis, 
  Noctua, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  true 
  cutworms, 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  peculiar 
  method 
  of 
  their 
  

   injury 
  to 
  plants, 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  all 
  farmers, 
  gardeners, 
  and 
  horticul- 
  

   turists, 
  but 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  their 
  life 
  history, 
  the 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  

   their 
  injuries 
  are 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  done, 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  prevention 
  and 
  

   remedy 
  will 
  bear 
  frequent 
  repetition. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  their 
  

   feeding 
  habits, 
  remaining 
  secreted 
  by 
  day, 
  usually 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  their 
  

   food 
  plant. 
  Coming 
  forth 
  at 
  night 
  they 
  eat 
  fresh 
  buds 
  and 
  foliage, 
  cut 
  

   off 
  young 
  plants 
  and 
  tender 
  stems, 
  often 
  wasting 
  more 
  than 
  they 
  con- 
  

   sume. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  cutworms, 
  rarely 
  distinguished 
  by 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  observer 
  with 
  any 
  accuracy, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  plump, 
  soft- 
  

   bodied, 
  cylindrical 
  caterpillars, 
  dirty 
  grayish 
  or 
  whitish 
  and 
  variously 
  

   spotted 
  and 
  striped. 
  

  

  Young 
  beets 
  suffer 
  considerably 
  from 
  these 
  pests, 
  which 
  in 
  Nebraska 
  

   have 
  at 
  times 
  destroyed 
  entire 
  crops, 
  devouring 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  successive 
  

   plantings 
  before 
  they 
  cease 
  their 
  work. 
  They 
  are 
  essentially 
  grass 
  and 
  

   clover 
  insects, 
  and 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  bred 
  in 
  pastures 
  

   and 
  meadows. 
  The 
  life 
  histories 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  differ 
  consider- 
  

   ably. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  summer, 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  mainly 
  on 
  grass, 
  but, 
  at 
  

   times, 
  on 
  almost 
  any 
  kind 
  of 
  vegetation 
  growing 
  on 
  suitable 
  ground, 
  and 
  

   even 
  on 
  trees 
  or 
  vegetable 
  trash 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  itself. 
  

  

  