64 



THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



IMPOKTED INSECTS.— THE ONION FLY. 



Dr. Fitch has recently .shown, that the maggot 

 that terribly infests the bulb of the Onion in the 

 Eastern States, often to such an extent as to cause 

 men to give up growing that crop, is produced by 

 an imported Two-winged Fly, {Anthomijia crpa- 

 ruvi.) According to him, it has been in this coun- 

 try forty years or more. (^Ann. Raj. liur. Aff., 

 1867, p. 91.) The annexed right hand figure 

 shows this insect in the maggot or larva state ; the 



Color — asli-grcy. Color — white, 



left hand figure the perfect fly bred therefrom. 

 So far as I am aware this little pest has not yet 

 spread into the Western States; but doubtless in 

 due course of time it will do so. 



More than a year ago Dr. Shimer, of Carroll Co., 

 111., showed that the onions in his garden were in- 

 fested in the same manner by another two-winged 

 Fly. This fly, upon being submitted to competent 

 entomologists, proved to be the Ortalis flexa of 

 Weidemann, which is not an imported but a Native 

 American insect, and which had been previously 

 credited to the State of Georgia. The annexed 

 figures show the larva and the perfect insect of this 

 species, the hair lines here and before denoting the 

 natural length of each. It will be seen at once 

 that it differs widely from the imported insect, not 

 only in the .shaoo of the larva, but in the coloring 



Color whitish. Color blackish. 



of the Fly, which, instead of glo.s.sy transparent 

 wings, has them of an opaque black color, with three 

 conspicuous white stripes on each. 



It is very remarkable, that while the imported 

 Onion-fly is such a grievous pest in the East, the 

 Native American Onion-fly seems not to occur at 

 all in the East, and to have been only noticed as 

 yet by a single individual in the West, unless indeed, 

 which is probable enough, the '• Western onion 

 maggot" found near Peoria, 111., by Mr. E. G. 

 Johnson, belonged to this species. (See N. Y. 

 Tribune, April 10, 1866.) Yet the insects belong to 

 allied genera of the great Musca family. How then 



can we account for this strange fact? .We can only 

 account for it, I think, upon the same principles, 

 upon which 1 recently endeavored to explain the 

 analogous case of the two Gooseberry Sawflies — 

 namely, that our N. A. creation is of an inferior and 

 weaker and less highly developed type, than that of 

 what is popularly known as the Old World. (See 

 Practical Entomoi.ogi.st, I, pp. 117 — 9.) 



There is still another analogous case, illustrative 

 of the above theory, to be met with in the Meal- 

 worm Beetles. The imported species ( Tenehrio 

 molitor) swarms throughout the whole country and 

 is a great pest; while the Native American species 

 {^Tcni-brw obscurus,) is comparatively rare and is 

 scarcely known to the millers and flour-dealers. 



A third case of the same kind may be found in 

 the Imported Bark-louse and the Native American 

 Bark-louse. (See Practical Entomologist, 

 II. p. 31 — 2.) And it would not be difiicult to 

 show, that many more such cases are to be met 

 with in the various departments of Entomology. 



As to the best mode of destroying those Onion- 

 maggots, it lias already been shown in this journal, 

 (I, p. 20.) that boiling hot-wafer poured over the 

 young plants will destroy the maggots, without at 

 all injuring the plants. The only other known 

 remedy that is reliable, is to pull up such plants, as, 

 from their drooping state, may be known to contain 

 maggots in their bulbs, and destroy them in any 

 convenient manner. B. D. W. 



DO cBT-woams desthoy tsee bitdsi 



Bv Joiix TowNLEY, OP Mahquette Co., Wiscossiy. 



During the last two years at least, young apple- 

 trees in this locality have been much injured by 

 having their buds destroyed. My observations last 

 spring led me to conclude, that a worm very like 

 the cut-worm, and having the same habit of hiding 

 just beneath the surface of the soil during the day 

 and feeding by night, was the cause of the mis- 

 chief But as, in no work on gardening matters 

 to which I had access, could I find the cut-worm 

 included in the list of insects injurious to fruit trees, 

 I had some doubts as to whether my conclusions 

 were well founded. I find, however, in the June 

 number of Vol. 1 of the Practical Entomolo- 

 gist, that not only is it probable that these cutr 

 worm-like insects destroy the buds, but that the 

 fact is comparatively new to Entomologists, as well 

 as to the growers of fruit generally. I have thought, 

 therefore, that a brief account of my experience in 

 this matter here, might not be unacceptable. 



Soon after snow had gone in 18(55, I pruned a lot 

 of apple-trees then four years planted. The wood 

 at the time seemed alive and sound. When older 

 trees were coming into leaf, these remained almost 

 destitute of foliage; and on examining them, it was 

 found, that most of the buds, especially those ou 

 shoots formed the preceding year, were gone — re- 

 moved as clean as if they had been picked out with 

 the point of a knife. The bark in small patches 

 near the ends of some of the shoots had also been 

 eaten or chipped off. As many small birds had 

 been seen about the trees, the conclusion was 



