CHAPTER XIII 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO POTATO AND SIMILAR 

 VEGETABLES 



SoLANACEOUs vegetables include potato, tomato, eggplant, 

 pepper and cultivated species of Physalis, one of which is 

 known as husk tomato. A moderate number of insects are 

 attached to these plants and most of them affect tobacco, be- 

 sides weeds of the same family. 



The most important potato insect in the economic sense, is 

 the Colorado potato beetle, followed by half a dozen or more 

 destructive blister beetles, and less important species of the 

 same group. Numerous species of cutworms select the tomato 

 and potato as their particular prey and the latter plant is favored 

 by several forms of flea-beetles. Among other insects which 

 take their name from the potato are the potato stalk-weevil and 

 potato stalk-borer, potato tuber moth and potato scab gnat. The 

 two species last mentioned injure particularly the stored 

 product, and several other insects attack the tubers in the 

 ground. Of such are wireworms and certain cutworms, e. g., 

 the variegated cutworm, when they become unusually numerous, 

 and white grubs. 



All of the general feeders which have been mentioned are 

 Treated in introductory chapters. Some of the blister beetles, 

 more particularly the striped blister beetle, are known as old- 

 fashioned potato beetles. In the Southwest there are numerous 

 species of these insects which affect the potato crop in that 

 section. One of the potato stalk-borers is treated under the name 

 of "the common stalk-borer" in the chapter on corn insects 

 (page 199). 



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