CHAPTER VI. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO WHEAT. 



INJURING THE ROOTS. 



Meadow-maggots or Leather-jackets {TipulidcB). 



Several instances have been recorded in which serious 

 injury has been done to wheat, clover, timothy, and bkie 

 grass by the larvae of Crane-flies. These insects are never 

 so injurious in this country as in Europe, where they are 

 known as ''Daddy-long-legs," the common name of our 

 harvest-spiders, though doubtless injury done by them is 

 often attributed to other insects. The farmer usually 

 declares the work to be that of wireworms or cutworms, 

 the adults often being known as ''cutworm-flies,'' unless 

 the maggots are so abundant as to attract his attention. 

 When the maggots are abundant enough to do much 

 injury, they usually occur in very large numbers, but 

 ordinarily, though common everywhere, they occur in such 

 small numbers as to escape notice. 



Several species [Tipula bicornis Loew, T. costalis Say, 

 and Paclujrrliini.^ sp.?) have at various times done con- 

 siderable damage in localities in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 

 and elsewhere. 



Life-history. — So far as studied, the life-histories of 

 these species seem to be much the same. The larvae 



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