THE HOP FLEA-BEETLE. 75 
Utah, enormously abundant on a form of hedge mustard along the 
railroad tracks, feeding on the half-grown seeds. Single plants were 
seen on which a double handful of beetles could be taken at one stroke 
of the net. 
In a letter dated July 20, 1908, the E. Clemens Horst Company, 
Perkins, Cal., wrote of extensive injur}' by this species, and as this 
letter contains much of interest it is transcribed herewith. The 
writer is greatly indebted to the same company for the excellent pho- 
tographs from which the ten half-tones illustrating this article are 
taken. 
We are extensive growers of hops on the Pacific Slope, California and Oregon, 
and also have about 600 acres of hops in two ranches in British Columbia. 
For the past three years we have been very much molested in British Columbia 
by a variety of flea-beetle that seems to take an esi>ecial liking to hop foliage 
and eats the young, tender shoots as they come out of the ground, and also the 
developed and partly developed leaves of the vines after the same are above 
ground. There are two other growers in the same section that were bothered 
one or two years previous to ourselves, and as they had some foreign varieties 
of hops we at first supposed the insects had been imported from England in the 
roots. Since, however, we have found that the same insect has been in the 
neighborhood in very small numbers for quite a long term of years. Our crops 
in British Columbia suffered quite a bit last season, but this year are very 
nearly a total failure. From the one place, Chilliwack. P>. C, containing 278 
acres, we do not expect to reap a harvest of more than GOO bales, whereas we 
should have from 2,500 to 3,000 bales. From the other place, Agassiz, R. C, 
we do not expect over 250 bales of hops, whereas we should have 2.250 to 2.700 
bales. This will give you some idea of the inroads made by the insect and the 
resultant loss to persons engaged in hop growing when their yards are attacked 
by these pests. Of course we readily understand that it would be somewhat out 
of the ordinary for your Department to attack this problem inasmuch as it is 
out of the United States, but inasmuch as the pests are now so numerous 
within about 20 miles of the United States boundary and only a short distance 
from the Washington State hopyards we believe it is well worth your considera- 
tion. Just imagine for a moment the loss that would fall to the numerous 
growers of hops in the States of Washington, Oregon, or California, if this 
pest should not be held in check, and would migrate to these sections. We have 
definite knowledge of their already having spread as far as Sumaa Junction, 
which is on the boundary line between the United States and Canada, where 
they are attacking cabbage, potato, beets, and other root crops, though the 
damage done here is not nearly as bad as in the hop fields. * * * 
A badly damaged hopyard is shown in figure 13. 
During 1908 injury from the hop flea-beetle was reported by Mr. 
W. W. Stockborger, of the Bureau of Plant Industry of this Depart- 
ment, lie mentioned the cases already cited and one reported by 
Mr. Robert Maitland, of Agassiz, B. C. the latter stating that the 
ravages of this insect would almost destroy the prospect for a crop 
during the season. Mr. John Wilson, Agassiz. B. C., who complained 
