﻿718 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  tJEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Remedies. 
  — 
  Among 
  tlie 
  more 
  general 
  preventive 
  remedies, 
  suggested 
  

   by 
  Harris, 
  are 
  the 
  soaking 
  of 
  corn, 
  before 
  planting, 
  in 
  copperas-water, 
  

   and 
  mixing 
  salt 
  v\ 
  ith 
  the 
  manure, 
  though 
  these 
  are 
  of 
  less 
  use 
  than 
  

   plowing 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  turn 
  up 
  the 
  half-grown 
  w^orms, 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  expose 
  them 
  to 
  winter 
  colds 
  and 
  insectivorous 
  birds. 
  When 
  the 
  

   Avorms 
  have 
  begun 
  their 
  attacks, 
  hand-picking, 
  i. 
  6., 
  digging 
  up 
  the 
  

   worms 
  which 
  hide 
  by 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  around 
  the 
  plant, 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  the 
  

   most 
  efficacious 
  remedy. 
  An 
  excellent 
  plan 
  is 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  deep 
  hole, 
  with 
  

   a 
  stake, 
  in 
  the 
  hills, 
  down 
  which 
  trap 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  fall. 
  

  

  Wire-Worms. 
  — 
  Eating 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  wheat, 
  hard 
  cyliudrical, 
  round, 
  reddish 
  

   ■wormSj 
  tapering 
  toward 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  tail, 
  and 
  changing 
  into 
  snapping-beetles. 
  

  

  The 
  roots 
  of 
  corn, 
  wheat, 
  and 
  grasses 
  are 
  often 
  injured 
  to 
  a 
  lament 
  

   able 
  extent 
  by 
  wire-worms, 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  snapping-bee- 
  

   tles 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Elateridce. 
  

  

  The 
  Corn-Maggot, 
  Anthomyia 
  zece 
  Riley. 
  — 
  Gnawing 
  seed-corn 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  planted 
  ; 
  a 
  

   maggot 
  like 
  the 
  onion-worm. 
  

  

  This 
  maggot 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  injure 
  seed-corn 
  just 
  after 
  being, 
  

  

  planted, 
  and 
  to 
  abound 
  toj 
  

   such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  nearly' 
  

  

  §ruin 
  whole 
  corn-fields, 
  as 
  it 
  

   gnaws 
  into 
  the 
  corn, 
  tin 
  ally 
  

   ^ 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  rot. 
  When 
  fully 
  

   fed 
  they 
  contract, 
  forming 
  

   Fig. 
  9.— 
  Corn-Maggot, 
  a, 
  larva, 
  enlarged; 
  6, 
  pupa- 
  a 
  barrel- 
  shaped 
  brown 
  case 
  

   case 
  ; 
  c, 
  corn 
  injured 
  by 
  worms, 
  natural 
  size. 
  (Fig. 
  8, 
  b). 
  Within 
  whlch 
  lies 
  

  

  the 
  pupa, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  week 
  after 
  the 
  flies 
  appear. 
  As 
  a 
  remedy, 
  soak 
  the 
  

   corn 
  before 
  planting 
  in 
  gas-tar 
  or 
  copperas-water. 
  

  

  Larva, 
  — 
  Closely 
  resembling 
  the 
  maggot 
  of 
  the 
  onion-fly 
  ; 
  yellowish-white 
  ; 
  blunt 
  at 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  end 
  and 
  pointed 
  in 
  front. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  Fhj. 
  — 
  Head 
  tawny 
  in 
  front, 
  with 
  a 
  brownish 
  edge 
  ; 
  antennse 
  black 
  ; 
  face 
  and 
  orbits 
  

   brownish- 
  white 
  ; 
  thorax 
  and 
  abdomen 
  pale 
  yellow-brownish 
  ash-colored; 
  thorax 
  with 
  

   an 
  indistinct 
  middle 
  stripe 
  of 
  brown 
  ; 
  legs 
  black. 
  Length 
  one-fifth 
  of 
  an 
  inch. 
  — 
  (Riley.\ 
  

  

  The 
  Corn-Weevil, 
  Sphenophorus 
  zeK. 
  — 
  Puncturing 
  large 
  holes 
  in 
  young 
  corn 
  near 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  stalk, 
  before 
  it 
  has 
  spindled, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  destroying 
  whole 
  fields 
  of 
  

   young 
  corn. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Practical 
  Entomologist 
  (vol. 
  ii, 
  p. 
  117, 
  1867) 
  the 
  late 
  ]\Er. 
  Walsh 
  

   described 
  this 
  weevil, 
  and 
  gave 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  ravages 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   and 
  Western 
  States. 
  Mr. 
  Eobert 
  Howell, 
  in 
  Tioga 
  County, 
  New 
  York, 
  

   was 
  among 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  detect 
  it, 
  and 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  June 
  14, 
  1869, 
  he 
  

   writes 
  me 
  that 
  " 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  fourth 
  year 
  they 
  have 
  infested 
  the 
  newly- 
  

   planted 
  corn 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  inclosed 
  specimens 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  

   11th 
  instant. 
  I 
  presume 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  every 
  hill 
  of 
  corn 
  in 
  my 
  

   field. 
  They 
  pierce 
  the 
  young 
  corn 
  in 
  numerous 
  places, 
  so 
  that 
  each 
  

   blade 
  has 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  holes 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  pin 
  or 
  larger, 
  and 
  

   I 
  found 
  a 
  number 
  last 
  Friday 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  under 
  ground, 
  hanging 
  to 
  

   young 
  stalks 
  with 
  much 
  tenacity. 
  When 
  very 
  numerous, 
  every 
  stalk 
  is 
  

   killed. 
  Some 
  fiv 
  Ids, 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  ago, 
  were 
  wholly 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   this 
  insect." 
  I 
  have 
  detected 
  this 
  insect 
  at 
  Hyannis, 
  Mass., 
  June 
  25. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  large 
  black 
  weevil, 
  with 
  a 
  long, 
  narrow, 
  subcyliudrical 
  \ 
  

   body, 
  and 
  with 
  coarse 
  gray 
  punctures. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  black, 
  finely 
  puuc- 
  T 
  

   tured, 
  with 
  still 
  more 
  minute 
  punctures 
  on 
  the 
  beak. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  beak 
  just 
  between 
  the 
  eyes 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  oval 
  pit. 
  The 
  beak 
  is 
  nearly 
  

   one-third 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  bodj" 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  curved 
  downward, 
  slightly 
  com- 
  

   pressed, 
  with 
  the 
  tip 
  seen 
  from 
  above 
  dilated 
  slightly 
  and 
  triangular. 
  

  

  * 
  

  

  