110 



January 28, 1897, Mr. N. H. Reed, Nebraska City, Nebr. , sent speci- 

 mens, with report that the flies were swarming around his house during 

 the winter, but that he could not ascertain where they came from. He 

 stated that he had never been bothered with these insects before, 

 although he had kept plants in his house for years. No specific injury 

 was reported. 



March 1 of the same year, Dr. James Fletcher wrote concerning what 

 was probably this species, stating that the larvae fed in numbers in the 

 earth of house plants and were suspected of injury to them. The flies 

 were very numerous upon the windows of houses at Ottawa, Canada. 

 A remedy was requested. 



Januaiy 21, 1898, Mr. F. A. Sirrine, Jamaica, N. Y., sent speci- 

 mens, with the statement that the larvae were reported to feed upon 

 roots of roses. He called the adults "black manure gnats." 



March 18 of the same year, the late F. L. Harvey, Orono, Me., sent 

 specimens of larvae and flies of what was identified as probably this 

 species, doing damage to the bulbs of Gloxinia. 



December 18, 1899, Mrs. Taylor, Kennett Square, Pa., sent speci- 

 mens of this insect taken from the soil in potted plants, but with no 

 report as to what plants were injured. The flies had been noticed 

 about a month prior to the date of writing. 



February 8, 1900, we received the larva of a species of Sciara from 

 Mr. Harry McC. Dowdy, Richmond, Va., with report that this insect 

 was injurious to peas growing in flower pots. These larvae when 

 received were boring into the cotyledons of the peas. February 11 

 we received another communication with specimens of the adult, which 

 were identified as Sciara inconstans Fitch. 



February 27 we received another sending of this insect, with report 

 that the flies were swarming in a greenhouse belonging to Mr. R. D. 

 Kline, a market gardener of Streator, 111. Injury was feared and rem- 

 edies requested. Our correspondent stated that no especial damage 

 had been done to any particular plant other than to lettuce, which was 

 affected merely by the presence of the adult insects. The dead bodies 

 of the flies were stated to be abundant in the windows of one of his 

 greenhouses, and for that reason were considered quite undesirable. 



Writing March 5, 1900, Mr. Kline stated that he made a practice of 

 "smudging" his six greenhouses, treating two houses one week, and 

 then passing to the next two for the following week. He believes by 

 this method he is enabled to kill off many insects, including the fickle 

 midge, although numbers are left to breed. 



Nitrate of soda and pyre thrum, as well as tobacco, were used by Dr. 

 Fletcher upon this or a similar species of Sciara in Canada, but without 

 entirely satisfactory results. 



