107 



plants which were planted in the vicinity of the cotton. In t. 

 situations it would be an easy matter to destroy the pests by means of 



hot water, or kerosene emulsion, or a mechanical mixture of i. 

 and water. 



The species is generally distributed in the West [ndies. It has 

 been reported from San Domingo, Jamaica, and St. John, and Mr. O. 

 Heidemann's collection contains specimens from Cuba and Mont 

 serrat. It did not appear, however, in the extensive Smith collection 

 of Hemiptera from Granada. W. L, and likewise seems to be unknown 

 in Mexico and Central America. — W. D. H. 



STOPPAGE OF ELECTRIC LIGHTS BY INSECTS. 



The Electrical World and Engineer of August 9, 1901, says that 



recently at St. Paul. Minn., the electric lights were stopped by an 

 accumulation of shad flies. 18 inches from wire to wire, shutting off 

 the current of 25,000 volts. The shut down by a short circuit between 

 the wires lasted an hour, and it was found necessary to station an 

 attendant to remove the constantly accumulating insects with a hoe. 

 The figure illustrating the article represented a Bibio, but the text says 

 that the creatures were shad Hie-. 



A VARIETY of WHEAT SAID TO BE IMMUNE FROM HESSIAN FEY. 



Maj. William R. King, ex-chief of the seed division, Department of 

 Agriculture, returning from Buffalo, and having interviewed several 

 New York wheat growers, reports that he i< authoritatively informed 

 that the only variety of wheat which practically escaped the great 

 damage which the Hessian fly did in that part of the State during the 

 mi of 1901 is Dawson's Golden Chaff. The peculiarity in the wheat 

 is that the straw is very stiff and tillers abundantly. It originated at 

 Guelph. Ontario. Canada, at tin 4 Dominion Experimental Farm-. It 

 ha- been extensively planted in Canada, also in western Michigan, not 

 only at the Agricultural -College, but in the vicinity of Grand Rapid-. 



A WESTERN CRICKET IN OREGON. 



July 3<>. 1901, Mr. R. J. Hollis sent specimens ^( one of the so-called 

 western crickets (Anabrus purpurascens Chi.) from Andrew-. Harney 

 County. Oreg. Our correspondent had never seen this species in 



California or elsewhere, but knew that it was a yearly visitor in the 

 vicinity from which he wrote, -taxing about -i.\ weeks, after which 

 it either died or disappeared in some unexplained manner. It was 

 noticed that it was migratory. In some place- there were millions 

 of them, and they ate everything from garden truck to leather and 

 canvas, and even each other. They appeared to be sensitive to heat 

 and cold, and were described a- herding together like hogs during the 



