1892.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 261 



DEPARTMENT OF EGONOMIG ENTOMOLOGY. 



Edited by Prof. JOHN B. SMITH, Sc. D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



Elaphidion Injury. — One of the striking features noticeable now in riding 

 through the State of New Jersey is the unusual amount o{ Elaphidion 

 injury on oaks. In some localities every tree has several dead or dying 

 twigs, and the ground beneath is strewn with small branches broken off 

 by recent high winds. Some of these twigs contain two, or even three 

 larvae at short mtervals, while there is only one girdling. This seems to 

 indicate that not all the larvae have the girdling habit. I have bred the 

 species from young oak stems, where no attempt at girdling was ever 

 made. As the species of Elaphidion sometimes attack orchard trees, it 

 behooves the agriculturist to collect and burn all fallen oak twigs and 

 branches, during the Winter, where the oaks are near the orchards. All 

 shade and ornamental trees should be so protected at any rate, even when 

 there is no threatened orchard near. 



The " Angonmois Grain Moth," of which mention was made last month 

 in comment on Dr. Doran's Bulletin, promises to be more injurious than 

 ever before, during the present season. I have received letters from sev- 

 eral parts of New Jersey and Pennsj'lvania complaining of injurj- to corn 

 as well as wheat, and most of the letters speak of the large "number of 

 "millers" now flying. Wherever this is the case, wheat should be 

 threshed immediately, and either at once disposed of or bulked in tight 

 bins and covered with sacking or some more closely woven substance. 

 Infested corn-cribs are difficult to deal with. If the crib is tight, the car- 

 bon disulphide remedy can be used; if it is open work, it is probable that 

 there will be no further breeding of the insects in it this season. The 

 frosty nights will check development, and injury will not increase. As a 

 precaution, cribs containing old corn which is infested, should be cleaned 

 and fumigated with sulphur to destroy lurking moths, before the new 

 corn is stored in it. 



Oviposition of Crickets.— Among the insects most common on cranberry 

 bogs about picking time, are the crickets, and they are charged by the 

 growers with eating berries, and thus doing considerable injur}'. The 

 question of just where they oviposit becomes an important one, when we 

 consider the possibility of keeping the insects off the bog, and I sent two 

 of my students. October 13th, to make observations. They were very 

 successful, brought back a quantity of eggs, and the following account is 

 from the report made by Mr. R. S. Lull. 



They seemed to prefer dr}-, sandy ground, and were found in great 

 numbers on the tops of the dams crossing the bogs. But one or two were 

 noticed on peaty ground, and on digging there, could find no trace of 

 eggs. so abundant in the sand. Most of the specimens were females, but 

 occasionally a male would be seen, burrowing like the rest, or with his 



