180 REPORT 4, UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



various Ladybirds, and large Chrysomelidae. Fatally affected were all Hynienopter- 

 ous insects, all Heteroptera and Homoptera (no opportunity, however, to try on 

 Aphids) ; several species of naked Noctuid larvae, Callida decora, Coptocycla auriclialcea 

 and its larvse, Monocrepid'ms lividus and M. vespertinus, Ladybird larvae, larvae of Chiij- 

 sopa, Hemerohiua and Syrphus. Of all these insects the ants are by far most readily 

 affected. The mixtures hardly affected Pieris larvae, and not at all those of Terias 

 nicippe. 



It cannot be denied that this promiscuous destruction of friend and 

 foe alike is a disadvantage, but all observers agree that the Cotton 

 Worm is one of the first insects to succumb to the effects of the powder. 



When, in 1879, we began to experiment with Pyrethrum in the field, 

 there was little hope of successfully applying this expe:isive material 

 on a large scale, but we have seen that even at the high price of 75 cents 

 per pound the powder can be successfully used in the field at a cost not 

 exceeding that of the dry Paris green method, and against an insect 

 which is remarkably well protected by its habits and by the large size 

 of the plants upon which it depredates. That the price of Pyrethrum 

 can and will be considerably lowered admits of no doubt. Mr. Milco, 

 of Stockton, Cal., wrote us in 1879 that the cost of production, milling, 

 &c., on a large scale need not exceed 6 to 7 cents per pound. The seed 

 of Pyrethrum roseum and P. cineraricefolimn was, in 1880, distributed by 

 the U. S. Entomological Commission, while another supply of seed was 

 sent out in 1881 and 1882 to parties all over the country by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, accompanied by a circular containing all available 

 information regarding the cultivation and use of the plant. Though 

 many failures have been reported, the plants have grown well in other 

 cases, and it can hardly be doubted that the cultivation of pyrethrum 

 will prove a success in many portions of the Eastern States, and that 

 the market price of the powder will be lowered in a future not very far 

 remote. That the farmer or planter is able to raise his own supply of 

 powder is an important point not only in regard to cheapness of the ma- 

 terial, but also as a protection against adulteration, which is the more 

 dangerous in this case as the adulterated article cannot be distinguished 

 from the genuine one except by continued experimentation. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH THE POWDER EROM OX-EYE DAISY. 



In the summer of 1880 Mr. William Saunders, of the Department of 

 Agriculture, called our attention to the possibility of discovering in one 

 of our most common plants, the well known Ox-eye daisy, insecticide 

 properties similar to those possessed by Pyrethrum. He wrote us as 

 follows: "On running over the pages of your Bulletin on the Cotton 

 Worm I notice that you have something to say about pyrethrum i30w- 

 der, which reminds me that Dalmatian Insect Powder is, accordiug to 

 some authoiities, made from the Leucantliemum vulgare, our Ox-eye 

 daisy. In Europe it is called Chrysanthemum leucantliemum. Could we 

 not so utilize that vile weed "] I think the subject is worthy of experi- 

 ment." When perfectly dry these were finely ground, and we obtained 



