March 1895.] 



INJURIOUS INSECTS AND FUNGI. 



311 



Mr. Slingerland has come to the conclusion, after careful 

 study, that this fly should not be called Anthomyia hrassicce, 

 but Phorhia hrassicce, Bouche, though he realises the respon- 

 sibility incurred by the wide divergence from the opinions of 

 system atists which his appellation represents. He states that 

 for 50 years past, so far as he can discover, every economic writer, 

 whether American or European, has called the cabbage maggot 

 Anthomyia hrassiccB, Bouche. But he has found only two or 

 three references to Bouche's species in the systematic literature 

 of the Anthomyians. West wood, Osten-Sacken, and Leunis 

 apparently accepted hrassicce, Bouche, without question. Our 

 great dipterist, Mr. Meade, writing to Mr. Slingerland, says that 

 the true cabbage fly is Phorhia floccosa of Macquart, and that 

 this species has been confounded with Anthomyia radicum, 

 Linn. But Mr. Slingerland maintains his opinion still, and from 

 an examination of the evidence he adduces he seems to have 

 much reason for this. 



WlREWORMS. 



1 and la, Agriotes lineatus. 1 ^^^^^^^ ^j^^ magnified. 



2 and 2a, Agriotes sputator. J ° 

 ^ djn.^ Za, Agriotes ohscurus. 



4. Larva of Agriotes lineatus. 1 -^^^^^^^ g^^^^ 



5. Pupa. J 



Wireworms are the larvae of the genera of beetles known as 

 Elater, Athous, and Agriotes, belonging to the large family 

 of Elateridce. But those which do the most harm to cultivated, 

 crops are species of the genus Agriotes, namely, Agriotes 

 lineatus, Agriotes sputator, and Agriotes ohscurus. The chief 

 culprit of these, without any doubt, is Agriotes lineatus. 



It is scarcely necessary to recapitulate the crops that are 

 attacked by wireworms, and it will suffice to state that hardly 

 any crop is free from their ravages. Corn of all kinds, roots of 

 all kinds, and vegetables of all kinds, sufier^ in turn ; and hop 

 and strawberry plants often receive serious injuries from these 

 insects. Curtis says, in " Farm Insects/' that wireworms will 

 not touch mustard, and recommends that mustard should be 



