PREFACE. 



The sources of information concerning the insects 

 affecting our staple crops are widely scattered throughout 

 the bulletins of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations 

 and of the United States Department of Agriculture, a few 

 books on Economic Entomology, and various other publica- 

 tions. Few men but the entomologist have the desire or 

 ability to glean an account of any given insect from tlie 

 first-mentioned publications, if they know of the existence 

 of others than those published by their own State station. 

 The few books which have been written upon American 

 Economic Entomology usually give but a brief and sum- 

 mary account of any given insect, too brief — it seems to 

 the writer — to give a very clear understanding of the 

 matter. 



In preparing the following pages the author has been 

 more and more impressed by the fact that for the control 

 of most of the worst insect pests of our staple crops, the 

 farmer must depend very largely upon general methods of 

 farm practice. This being the case, it is essential that he 

 have a correct knowledge of the pest to be combated ; such 

 a knowledge of its life-history as will make plain the reason 

 for the effect of any given ^jrocedure against it. Thus the 

 better class of farmers may find a work in which each 



