THE SUNFLOWER AS A SILAGE CROP. 31 
individuals which appeared interesting from an agricultural stand- 
point. Sazj^perov concludes, therefore, that it is possible to obtain 
an agricultural variety resistant to the rust. 
INSECTS ATTACKING SUNFLOWERS. 
In the warmer and drier parts of the United States insects do 
considerable damage to sunflowers. At both Amarillo and Chilli- 
cothe, Tex., the stalks of the sunflowers were girdled by a larva or 
white grub which resembled very closely the larva of the June bug. 
This larva worked at or just below the surface of the soil and usually 
killed the plant completely or injured it so badly that all growth 
ceased. Another insect, also at Chillicothe. girdled the stalk just 
beneath the head, causing the head to drop over. 
Besides the above insects several forms of beetles and grasshoppers 
infest the heads of sunflowers at blooming time and do considerable 
damage to the seed crop. In 1918 and 1919 grasshoppers very much 
reduced the yield of sunflowers at Scottsbluff, Xebr., by eating out 
the terminal bud before the plants headed. Thrips are often abun- 
dant on the heads, and aphides, or plant lice, occur in quantity on 
the leaves. Sunflowers are, however, less injured by chinch bugs 
than corn, and in some localities where these insects are trouble- 
some sunflowers may prove valuable in replacing corn as a silage 
crop. 
Strangely enough, these insects are all less abundant on sun- 
flowers in the regions of low summer temperature where the plant 
promises to be most important. Cockerell (6) presents a partial 
list of the insects which are known to visit sunflowers in Colorado, 
but in most cases he does not indicate the damage caused. 
LITERATURE CITED. 
Anonymous. 
(1) 1920. Manitoba: — Sunflower ensilage for milk production. In Agr. 
Gaz. Canada, v. 7, no. 10, p. 818-819. 
(2) 1921. Silage for fattening steers. (Summary of report by A. A. 
Dowell and G. L. Flack, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Can- 
ada). In Nor'-West Farmer, v. 40, no. 11, p. 627. 
(3) Anthony, Ernest L.. and Henderson. H. O. 
1920. Sunflowers vs. corn for silage. West Va. Agr. Exp. Sta. Circ. 
32, 8 p., 1. fig. 
(4) Atkinson, Alfeed, Nelson, J. B., Arnett. C. N., Joseph, W. E., and 
Tretsven, Oscar. 
1919. Growing and feeding sunflowers in Montana. Mont. Agr. Exp. 
Sta. Bui. 131, 29 p., 4 fig. 
(5) Bracken, John. 
. 1919. Saskatchewan : — Sunflower silage. In Agr. Gaz. Canada, v. 6, 
no. 6, p. 542-543. 
