American institute. 337 



They frequently manifest themselves in all the early grain 

 crops, and their ravages are so destructive as sometimes to result 

 in the entire destruction of the crop. When the wheat, oats or 

 rye are harvested they frequently migrate into contiguous corn- 

 fields, and sometimes as is the case this year, they prove as in- 

 jurious to the corn as to the small grains; nay indeed, I think 

 from what I witness in my own cornfield, that they are likely 

 to be more destructive, for the rapidity with which they multiply 

 passes belief; and the late maturity of the corn crops affords them 

 the entire summer for the development of their reproductive 

 powers, and wiiich I should presume is several thousand fold in 

 one season, for when they first made their appearance in my field 

 about the last of June, it was in a bottom which I presume had 

 always been w^ater sogged for the want of drainage, and in order 

 to drain which I was at the time opening a large ditch, but until 

 completed it remained in a condition that I could not work it, 

 that is subsequent to the heavy rains that fell in the latter part 

 of June — as a consequence the grass got the advantage of us for 

 several wrecks in this particular place, which however was not 

 more than a rood in extent, and when we could work it, w^e found 

 perhaps fifty hills of corn pretty thickly infested wuth these 

 bugs. My first resort was pulverized caustic lime, this seemed 

 to clear them out, and for two weeks, I was consoling myself that 

 I had remedied the evil; but was undeceived by finding that it 

 had only driven them from one locality to another. Hence they 

 developed themselves all around their original locality and 

 spread themselves very rapidly. I then made a mixture of lime, 

 guano, and salt, and dusted every hill I found infested, but that 

 also had no other effect than to drive them through the field, 

 they are now entirely through fifteen acres of my best corn, and 

 during the last three weeks which has been very dry, they have 

 utterly ruined several acres in the bottom where they originally 

 appeared. The stalks of all sizes lay prostrate in all directions, 

 literally covered with the bugs, it is no exaggeration to say that 

 a cup full can be shaken from one stalk; and though they seem 

 to prefer the younger and more tender corn, yet they have no 

 respect for any size, but prostrate stalks seven inches in circum- 

 ference laden with large ears already glazed. 



You will perceive the relative proportions of young and old in 

 the samples sent. No body here knows of any remedy. Bo you 1 



[Am. Inst.] 22 



