54 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I916. 



abundant reason to study the insect pests that serve to limit 

 the yield and injure the quality of the crop. Statistics for 1913 

 (U. S. Dept. Agriculture) show 1,194,000 acres devoted to 

 the crop with yield of 1,194,000 tons and value of 16,597,000 

 dollars. This estimate is lower than that of previous years e..'id 

 does not include pasturage which, from the fact that the state 

 has 259,000 cattle valued at near ten millions of dollars, must 

 represent a considerable factor in the agriculture of tne state. 



The insect depredations on grass are of such a character as 

 to escape due recognition, partly because of the minuteness of 

 most of the insects concerned and the obscure nature of their 

 attack, partly because the injury consists of a steady drain 

 through the season and seldom results in the total ciestructi m 

 of plants, and partly because the injury and loss if noticed it 

 all is very likely to be charged to other agencies such as 

 weather conditions, exhaustion of soil, "running out" of the 

 meadow, etc. 



While demonstration is somewhat difficult tnere is good rea- 

 son to believe that a considerable part of the "running out'' 

 is due to the multiplication of insect pests in the meadow and 

 that if these could be eliminated the yield would be greatly 

 increased or the period of rotation could be very much ex- 

 tended. 



Some rather striking illustrations of the extent of the injury 

 have come to light during the season and may be presented 

 here as a suggestion at least, as to the cause of rapid decrease 

 in yield in fields which in other respects have best of conditions 

 for an average crop. 



A very good opportunity to compare the conditions in a field 

 that had been in grass but a short time and one where grass 

 had been growing for a number of years was afforded in a 

 field on the university farm where timothy had been growing 

 for a couple of years and in a near by field, the meadow to the 

 south of the library building, where the grass had been growing 

 for some twelve years. I was told that this latter field had been 

 well manured and had for some years produced good crops 

 but in late years a much lower yield and the appearance of the 

 field would bear out this statement though I did not secure 

 exact figures of yield so as to make a complete comparison. 



