43 



attention, but no serious damage has resulted from its presence so far 

 as I know, and [ do not anticipate from it any serious difficulties for 

 this State. Attention has been called to* these in a paper read before 

 the Association of Economic Entomologists at Rochester and pub- 

 lished in Insect Life (vol. v. p. Ill), and oo farther notice of them 

 need be given here. Several eases of insects affecting grain in stoi 

 have come to my notice, and especially in the case of mill owners there 

 seems to be a derided interest in the subject and a desire to adopt 

 remedies for the insect pests that infest their mills. It is needless to 

 add that the recommendation of bisulphide of carbon has given very 

 satisfactory results. 



The Potato Stalk Weevil [Trichobari* trinotata Bay has been quite 

 plentiful and destructive, causing a loss of a large percentage of the 

 crop on the college farm and probably over a considerable pari of the 

 State, though from the nature of its attack it seems to escape the 

 notice of most growers. 



A quite notable outbreak which came directly under observation was 

 that of the Diamond-back Moth [Plutella cruci/erarum upon Rape, 

 Cabbage, Cauliflower, and related plants. This insect has seldom 

 caused any noticeable injury, though often observed as occurring in 

 limited numbers, but this year it became so abundant as to seriously 

 damage all the patches of Rape on the college grounds. The worms 

 are so well protected in folds of the plant leaf and many of them on 

 the under side that they are difficult to kill, and sprays of London 

 purple were only partially successful, and it seemed that this poison 

 applied in the form of powder diluted with flour and blown among the 

 leaves was more effective. 



The Cabbage Plusia (Plus'm brassica) was also plentiful and accom- 

 panied the preceding species in their attacks on Rape, Cabbage, etc. 

 for a time they caused more injury than that species. They were, 

 however, attacked by a disease that swept many of them off", so that 

 their damage was perhaps not so important in the aggregate as that 



of the preceding species. 



The Imported Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapw) was not seen at all 

 in the early part of the season and it was thought that the Apantele* 

 glomeratu$ mentioned in last season's report had accomplished a thor- 

 ough work: but late in August and early in September butterflies ap- 

 peared in large numbers and larvae were fairly plentiful in some cab- 

 bage patches during October. Of course the scarcity during the tore 

 part of the season may have been due to the previous abundance of 

 parasites, but it shows that such parasitism does not furnish a perma- 

 nent check. Specimens received from Defl Moines were abundantly 

 parasitized with Pteromalus puparum, and this species, with the Ajxin- 

 t> les glotm r<(tt<s and the epidemic disease that occasionally sweeps them 

 away, certainly conspire to as>ist greatly in the reduction of damage 

 from this widespread pest. 



