138 indian'corn cultueb. 



distributed over the country, as done by Prof. 

 Snow, and used to inoculate bugs where neces- 

 sary. The work of Snow has been most en- 

 couraging.* 



Clean cultivation is most essential in any 

 case, and Forbes recommends heavy fertiliza- 

 tion of lands as an additional safeguard.f 



Corn bill bugs (Sphenophorus). There are a 

 number of forms of these bugs which are known 

 as snout beetles or bill bugs. They are all 

 medium-sized, dark-colored insects. With most 



Fig 51.— Corn BtlIj Bvg, Sphenophorus robusius^ Horn, a. larva; &, pupa; 

 c, beetle, back view; d, beetle, Bide view. (After Biley.) 



species the adult insects sink the beak into the 

 stem of the young corn plant and make small 

 cavities in it into which the eggs are deposited, 

 where they hatch later on. 



One of the most destructive corn-bill bugs is 

 Sphenophorus ochereus, Lee. Its depredations 

 are mainly confined to recently reclaimed 

 swamp lands. Webster, in discussing the life 



* First, second, third and fourth annual reports Director 

 University of Kansas experiment station, 1891, 1892, 1893, 

 1894. 



t Sixteenth report State Entomologist of Illinois for 1890. 



