I2O Lincolnshire Notes & Queries. 



sure that all persons interested in her work will deeply 

 sympathise with her in the loss of her sister and energetic 

 fellow worker. 



As a rule the subject of Economic Entomology is much 

 neglected by farmers, although a few well-timed precautions 

 will often save a large amount of trouble and money : in 

 nothing is the old proverb more true that a stitch in time saves 

 nine. In Lincolnshire, where the consideration of the best 

 way to deal with insect pests (especially those that attack 

 cereals) ought to be of paramount importance, the subject has 

 hardly been taken up by anyone except Mr. Ralph Lowe, of 

 Sleaford, and Mr. Eardly Mason, of Alford, who some years 

 ago made observations in certain cases of attack which were 

 of great interest. We are far behind the people of the United 

 States in this matter. There a State Entomologist is appointed, 

 whose periodic reports, in their style, fulness, and excellent 

 illustrations are models of what such reports should be. It is 

 true that Miss Ormerod issues excellent yearly reports in her 

 private capacity ; but our official reports are, as a rule, meagre 

 in the extreme, and our best entomologists have little or 

 nothing to do with them. This is much to be deplored, for 

 insect attack, more or less serious, is always present among 

 us. Occasionally there is a scare ; we can most of us recall the 

 excitement caused by what people thought to be the threatened 

 invasion of the Colorado Potato Beetle. Its importation 

 alive was strictly prohibited, the walls both in town and country 

 were placarded with illustrations and notices of precautions 

 to be taken if it arrived, and of course every harmless beetle 

 was supposed to be a Colorado Beetle. This was but 

 natural, as people who had never thought of a beetle before 

 began to look out for them, and of course found and made notes of 

 various species. The authorities of one important town 

 seriously sent up to London an ordinary large y-spot ladybird, 

 feeling confident that at last the dreaded plague had come and 

 that they were the fortunate discoverers of its advent. Most 

 of us, too, can remember the more recent scare concerning the 

 Hessian Fly, how perpetual articles regarding it kept appear- 

 ing in the papers, and how it was held up as the last straw that 

 would break the farmer's back. But the fact is that the 

 Hessian Fly is always among us : it is only on occasions (due 

 to the climate of the season favouring its increase, or other 

 causes which require careful investigation) that its attack 

 becomes serious. There are, unfortunately, many other 



