43 



to colonize them upon Anasa tristis and other Hemiptera, but without 

 success. 



A few of the mites had, when first received, been introduced into the 

 cucumber bed, and upon leaving home in August I transferred all the 

 beetles to the garden in the hope that they would disseminate the para- 

 site. To what extent this has been done I can not now say. Upon my 

 return home, after an absence of a month, I found the garden suffering 

 from heat and drought, the cucumber plants nearly all dead, and no 

 mite-infested beetles to be seen. I hope, however, that Uropoda may 

 reappear next season in time to save us, in a measure, from the attacks 

 not only of the cucumber beetle, but from those of Colaspis on flowers 

 and grape foliage, on which both the bronze and the blue species have 

 for several years inflicted much damage. 



The Cabbage-worm Parasite (Apcmteles glomeratiis). — It is with great 

 satisfaction that I announce the advent into Missouri of this valuable 

 natural check to the ravages of Pieris rapw. It was observed about 

 the 1st of August in the gardens of Kirkwood, and about the same 

 time Avas reported to me by Mr. C. P. Fox, of the experiment station at 

 Columbia, in this State. Mr. Fox claimed that in his locality it had 

 destroyed about 80 per cent of the worms. Unfortunately many of the 

 cocoons received from this gentleman were infested with a secondary 

 parasite ( Tetrastichus sp. ?) which may interfere somewhat with its future 

 abundance. In this vicinity the primary parasite was unmolested, but 

 was not so numerous as at Columbia, not more than one in five or six 

 of the worms being affected. It was found, also, upon two larvse of P. 

 protodice, which in our garden were feeding upon Sweet Alyssum. It 

 has been several years since I found the latter larvae upon cabbage. 

 In some unexplained way P. rapce seems to have driven them from the 

 field. 



I have not yet learned how general the appearance of the cabbage- 

 worm parasite was during the past summer in this State, but, judging 

 from the fine crop of cabbages sent to our city markets from the north- 

 ern and western counties, the vegetable must have been rescued by 

 some natural agency from its most serious enemy, and this agency, I 

 strongly suspect, was the little Apanteles under consideration. 



INSECTICIDES. 



The only new preparation experimented with this summer was 

 " Thymo-cresol," Lawford Bros., importers, Baltimore, Md. This fluid 

 is offered to the public more especially as a " cold-water dip" for sheep 

 and for use on poultry and other animals in the case of vermin. It is 

 also claimed to be a valuable disinfectant and antiseptic. In accord- 

 ance with instructions from the Department it was tried as an insecti- 

 cide in the place of kerosene emulsion. Added to 50 parts of water it 

 forms a milk-white, soapy fluid that distributes readily through the 

 Lewis hand sprayer. It has no disagreeable odor, a j)oint that counts 



