66 



the fall growth of clover is kept mowed or grazed off during September 

 and October little trouble will likely follow from the depreciations of the 

 larvae the following spring. Some species, notably the ones studied in 

 the Indiana fields in 1888 and 1890, are two brooded, the eggs being de- 

 posited in spring and fall, while Tipula bicornis, which was reared from 

 the field at Ashland, Ohio, and a species near or identical with Tipula 

 angustipennis Loew, are probably single brooded, ovipositing during 

 late Sej)teinber and October only. 



TIPULA BICORNIS Loew. 



On May 17, 1888, we received the following note from the editors of 

 the Anderson Herald : 



Anderson, Ind v May 16, 1888. 

 We send you by today's mail a bottle with some worms which are taking the place 

 of cutworms in our county. We send them to have them named or to find out the 

 name. 



The Herald Company. 



We visited the locality on May 23, but could learn of but one infested 

 field, this being on the farm of Mr. J. C. Beesom, located about 3| miles 

 from the city of Anderson. This field consisted of 22 acres of under- 

 drained clay loam, with the soil of the depressions darker colored, the 

 surface, however, being nearly level. The field for the two preceding 

 seasons had been devoted to red-clover pasture, but not pastured dur- 

 ing the last year after about August 1. After this date there sprung 

 up a rank growth of clover, and, besides, a great number of Rag- weeds 

 (Ambrosia). During March of 1888 the clover had been almost totally 

 killed, the owner thought by the weather. About April 16 Mr. Beesom 

 began to break the field, and then discovered myriads of these larvae, 

 which were new both to him and his neighbors. At this time, from a 

 square foot of ground he took two hundred of the larva?, and did not 

 dare to plant his fields from fear of these worms destroying his crop. 

 On May 16 he found them still in the earth in immense numbers, and 

 noticed that a considerable j^ercentage had disappeared — doubtless 

 pupated. 



When I visited the field fully 90 per cent were in the pupal stage, 

 their numbers fully confirming Mr. Beesom 7 s statement as to the num- 

 ber of larvae, the lower and darker colored spots being the worst in- 

 fested. There were, at the time of my visit, very few adults to be 

 found in the grass along the edges of the field, but in the sod, which 

 was that of Blue Grass, no larvae or pupae could be found. Although 

 the two stages were pretty generally distributed over the whole area of 

 the field, they were especially abundant under clods, turf, or half-cov- 

 ered bunches of weeds and other debris. On the level plowed ground 

 the pupae could be detected by round holes which they occupied in a 

 vertical position. Under the clods this feature was not so noticeable; 

 although in these cases they seemed to favor the edges of their coverts. 



