54 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



paratively little damage has been recorded, though the familiar 

 yellowish maggots have been repeatedly observed in the heads of 

 wheat. Despite the fact that this is a well-distributed and relatively 

 common insect, it has not been possible as yet to rear such a series 

 of the midges as to establish beyond question the identity of the 

 one or more species responsible for the damage. 



The work of this insect was first noticed the past season in 

 heading rye. It was found to be generally present and in a few 

 fields it undoubtedly caused considerable damage by blasting an 

 appreciable percentage of the kernels. Later it appeared upon 

 ripening wheat in the western part of the State and the loss in 

 southern Niagara and northern Erie counties was estimated at 20 

 per cent in shrunken wheat. The actual damage in other wheat- 

 growing counties appears to have been considerably less, that in 

 Orleans being placed at 3 to 5 per cent. It is very difficult to get 

 at the exact figures, since, unless the insect is so numerous as 

 practically to destroy the grain in the heads, it appears probable 

 that the strength of the plant which ordinarily would be divided 

 between a number of kernels would, on the early destruction of 

 some, be thrown into the remainder, which appears to be the 

 explanation of fairly good crops on fields showing a rather general 

 and moderately severe infestation. 



There is no practical method known of controlling this pest. The 

 injury the past season was due largely, if not entirely, to unusual 

 climatic conditions at the time the grain was heading and the 

 probabilities of similar damage another season are very remote. 

 It is well known that the related Hessian fly, for example, develops 

 readily in soft growing grain and under such conditions may be 

 very injurious, whereas if the stem is moderately hard, the maggots 

 fail to develop. The controlling factors in case of the wheat midge 

 appear to be nearly the same and whenever conditions favor a rapd 

 development and maturity, especially the latter, of the heading 

 grain, there is comparatively little to fear from the wheat midge. 



Grass webworm (Crambus luteolellus Clem.) . It was 

 apparently this species which caused considerable damage to corn in 

 the town of Cambridge, Washington county, the past season and was 

 also reported as somewhat injurious in Oneida county. The grass 

 webworms are relatively common insects if one may judge from the 

 abundance of the moths, yellowish, yellowish brown, sometimes 

 slate color, about one-half of an inch long and with a wing spread 

 of an inch or less. These close wings, as they are known, are easily 

 recognized in the field by the short flight and especially the char- 



