58 
In Europe it is comparatively innoxious, confining itself chiefly to 
weeds, such as chickweed (Stellaria). Litorella, plantain (Plantago), 
dock and sorrel (Ruruex), Carduus and Centranthus, food plants 
reported by Kaltenbach, and others. When the species becomes unusu- 
ally abundant in this country, injury appears to be about equally 
divided between garden and field crops and orchards, although garden 
vegetables are evidently the first crop to be attacked. In greenhouses 
it also does much injury, being one of the most annoying of the cut- 
worms which attack plants grown under glass. The list of green- 
house and other ornamental plants affected includes violets, pansies, 
carnations, smilax, roses, sweet pea, hollyhock, sunflower, nasturtiums, 
and chrysanthemums. Grapes and lettuce are also much subject to 
injury when grown in cold frames. Of garden vegetables attacked 
are cabbage, turnips of different kinds, celery, lettuce, carrot, radish, 
beets, rhubarb, asparagus, onions, squash, potato, tomato, beans, peas, 
and bush fruits, including currant, gooseberry, raspberry, blackberry, 
and strawberry. Fruit trees of various sorts are sometimes divested 
of their foliage, as are also deciduous shade and forest trees. The list 
includes cherry, apple, pear, peach, prune, plum, cedar, mulberry, and 
box-elder. Of field crops it injures corn, wheat, timothy, and other 
grasses, alfalfa, clover, hops, and tobacco. Although not at ail partial 
to weeds, it at times attacks nettle, thistle, dog fennel, fireweed, and 
several other kinds of weeds. 
In its attack on cabbage it works in the same manner as the imported 
cabbage worm (Pier is rapce), boring into the head and thus doing- 
great damage. It cuts off the tender portions of almost all kinds of 
plants, including the heads of timothy. When it does not work in 
this manner it strips the leaves off its food plants. Mr. Slingerland, 
in writing of the injury by this species to chrysanthemums, states that 
a cutworm would climb a flower stalk and, upon reaching a blossom, 
firmly grasp the stalk just below with its prolegs, and then reach out 
as far as possible to the petals and eat them down to the base. The 
outer portion of the petals, which it could not reach, usually dropped 
to the ground. 
While it is not probable that many succulent plants are exempt from 
attack, squash and other cucurbits, and the poppy, according to the 
testimony of our correspondents, are evidently distasteful, and would 
not be eaten provided more appropriate food was available. It is 
quite evident that this cutworm is capable of attacking any portion of 
a plant, as was witnessed during the year — flowers, buds, seeds, seed 
pods, leaves, tender stalks, tubers, roots, and even the bark of trees, 
particularly around grafts. It appears to prefer, as seems natural, 
flowers and tender leaves and seed-pods, and attacks other parts of a 
plant when the supply of the choice portions is exhausted. For exam- 
ple, after consuming the tops of such root crops as potato, turnip, 
onion, and carrot, all of which appear to be favorite food plants, this 
