20 REPORTS OF OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS. 



pany lost more than one-half of their entire crop of cucumbers on account 

 of its attacks, and to be threatened again the present year was quite a 

 check to the industry. This was especially hard since the custom fol- 

 lowed by the company is to contract with the different farmers of the 

 surrounding vicinity to plant a certain number of acres of the plants 

 and agreeing in turn to pay for the crop at a given rate per bushel. 

 The injuries wrought last year by the Aphis made it very difficult to 

 induce others to plant for them the present year. The kerosene emul 

 sion was suggested as a remedy that could be effectively used. 

 Whether or not it became necessary to wage war upon the insect later 

 I have not learned. The pickle industry has become of sufficient 

 importance in the State to warrant our giving attention to the study 

 of the insect enemies of the cucumber in future, and I shall try to make 

 a special study of them another year. 



Pine Scale-insects. — Eeports of injury to pines by Chermes pinicorti- 

 cis have reached me from time to time during the past two years. Thus 

 far, however, no specimens of the insect have been received. Several 

 times correspondents have sent twigs of pine containing the scales of 

 the pine-leaf scale-louse (Mytilaspis pinifolice*) I have also observed 

 this last-named insect in great numbers at several widely separated 

 points within the State. It was seen upon a couple of trees growing on 

 the lawn of Mr. J. H. Masters, near Nebraska City. In Omaha it was 

 found upon some trees 5 at Tekamah it has been very abundant, and 

 among the native pines of the northwestern part of the State it is the 

 most characteristic insect enemy of these trees. Wherever this and 

 other scale-insects abound they are attacked by several of our Coccinelid 

 beetles, but more especially by the one known as the twice-stabbed 

 ladybird (Chilocorus bivulnerus). Sometimes this ladybird is so numer- 

 ous as to be present by the hundreds upon a single branch of trees 

 infested with scale-insects. 



Chinch-bug Infection. — In compliance with your request I present here- 

 with a short statement relative to my experience with the chinch-bug 

 infection for field use during the past summer here in Nebraska. 



Early in the season (April) indications pointed to the probability of 

 considerable injury during the year by the chinch-bug. Consequently 

 it was decided by the board of regents at one of their meetings to carry 

 on some experiments in the line followed with apparent success by Prof. 

 F. H. Snow of the University of Kansas during the four or five years past. 

 Certain funds were set aside with which to equip and carry on a labora- 

 tory for the propagation and spread of the fungus, Sporotriclmm globu- 

 lifernm, that is parasitic upon certain insects. Infected bugs with which 

 to start were obtained from Prof. Snow. Live, healthy bugs were 

 then gathered from whatever source they could be obtained, and these 

 were placed in jars, boxes, etc., with the " starters," and the conditions 

 made to conform as nearly as possible with the directions issued by the 

 Kansas University and sent with shipments of the infected bugs. As 



