24 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 157. 



Since 1899, no data being available previous to that year, at least five 

 complaints have been received from various parts of Massachusetts by 

 Dr. H. T. Fernald, Entomologist for the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. The last complaint was made in January, 1913, by 

 Mr. Walker Holden of Andovei, and led to the investigation of the pest 

 by the writer. Replies to inquiries made during the summer and fall, 

 however, indicate that the pest is generally distributed throughout the 

 eastern part of the State. 



FOOD PLANTS. 



Falconer, in Ms account of the insect in the " American Florist," states 

 that while the marguerite (Chrysanthemum frutescens) seems to be its 

 favorite food, it does not at all restrict itself to tliis plant, but attacks 

 every other plant of the family Compositse within reach. It appeared to 

 Mr. Falconer that it even preferred the double white feverfew (Chrysan- 

 themum parthenium) to the marguerite. He mentions eupatoriums, ga- 

 zanias, Helianthus decapetalus var. multifloru^, and Senecio (Cineraria) 

 crtientus as also having been attacked. Dr. Lintner received from the 

 same greenhouse infested leaves of the tansy (Tanacetum vtilgare) and of 

 three other Composite species which he did not identify. As already 

 stated, the common greenhouse chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum, 

 C. morifolium or C. sinense) was very early noticed as a food plant. This 

 •completes the Ust of food plants recorded, so far as the writer has observed. 



During the writer's investigations, however, adult flies were reared 

 from a number of additional species of plants of the family Compositse. 

 These plants, though growing in the greenhouse, are not normally green- 

 house plants, but had (with the exception of one, — Helianthus annuus, 

 the conmion annual sunflower, which was growing in the greenhouse of 

 the Department of Botany, and was' found infested the following fall) 

 simply been allowed to grow, together with a number of other weeds, in 

 the hope that new food plants might perhaps be discovered. These plants 

 are Solidago nemoralis, goldenrod; Ambrosia artemisiifolia, ragweed; hog- 

 weed, etc.; Taraxacum officinale, dandelion; Bidens frondosa, beggar ticks; 

 Daucus carota, wild carrot; Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, the common 

 white or ox-eye daisy; and Antennaria plantaginifolia, everlasting or 

 ladies' tobacco. ^ 



The discovery of the above food plants suggested that the pest could 

 lead an outdoor existence, even in absence of its cultivated food plants, 

 and, surely enough, during the last days of April some dandehons growing 

 at the foot of the greenhouse were found infested. 



The flies apparently did nob venture from the immediate vicinity of the 

 house. Only the plants at the foot of the house were attacked, and 

 numerous observations which continued into late June failed to disclose 



1 These plants were kindly identified by Mr. Geo. H. Chapman and Prof. A. V. Osmun of 

 the Department of Botany. 



