98 



Jiuie 20 and July 5 there ^va> an assorted variety of breather; rain, 

 liail. eyolonie wind storms, and otlier similar mani testations followed in 

 rapid succession. On Jtily 5. when I again -susited the fields. I did not- 

 find a single colony of Ajjliis cucumeris on either melon or cucumber. 

 nor have I found more than an isolated specimen here and there since 

 that time. This state of affairs exists all over the truck region of the 

 State, and none of the hundr^eds of melon and cucumber fields exam- 

 ined showed any trace of injury by the Aphids. So far as my observa- 

 tions go. I am now inclined to believe that the Aphid has an alternate 

 food-plant on which is passed the period between August 1, when it 

 usually disappears from the cucnrbs. and June lo. when it reappears 

 on them. This is a belief without much observation to suj^port it. and 

 is luir forth as a suggestion merely. 



Ujjilaclina hnrealh. larA^a and imago, has increased steadily in the last 

 years, and now ranks as an annoying pest, even slightly injurious locally. 

 While it is phytophagic in all active stages, the young larvae show a 

 somewhat carnivorous tendency. I have noticed on several occasions 

 that the first one or two larvse fr-om an ^gg cluster wonid eat into every 

 unhatched egg in the groui) before attacking the leaf. 



Diahrotica I'iftata does comparatively httle injury with us. It is 

 abundant enough, but is amenable to discipline in the form of plaster, 

 with or without Paris green. Abundant as is the imago on all cucurbs. 

 I have as yet found only a single larva on all the plants I have sliced 

 up. I have seen traces of its work in some instances in the form of 

 channels eaten in the bark of the root: but it certainly is not injurious 

 in this stage in 2s ew Jersey. I have pulled u}) dozens of wilting canta- 

 loupes and many more sc|uash vines and have carefully examined them. 

 yet I have found only a single larva, and in no case was the wilting- 

 caused by it. Do the larvae perhaps have another food-jijlant ? A 

 grower at Esopus. on the Hudson, destroys many of the beetles by 

 sending a man through his patch morning or evening to collect the 

 closed male flowers, in which the insects hide, often in large numbers. 



There has been another apj)earance of the larva oi Fliiit('>nomus punC' 

 tatus. the Clover-leaf Beetle, threatening serious injury: but it was 

 again checked by the fungous disease that destroyed so large a propor- 

 tion of the specimens in l'^90 and 1S91. 



The Entomologist has not been overwhelmed with novelties, but he 

 considers that he has work ahead for another season at least, even if 

 nothing new turns ux). 



Mr. Howard stated that the new asparagus beetle. Crioceris IQ-punc- 

 tatus. seems to be si^reading very slowly. He also expressed astonish- 

 ment that the Eose Chafer did not yield to tlie effect of pyrethro-kero- 

 sene emulsion in view of the statement of Prof. Cook in 1S91. 



Mr. Webster thought it little use t() attempt to fight this pest with 

 insecticides, which only killed, and did nnt protect from continued at- 

 tack. It seemed to matter little how manv were destroved. as their 



