INSECTS INJURIOUS TO AGRICULTURE. 
THE SUGAR-OANE BEETLE. 
(Ligyrus rugiceps LeC.) 
Order, Ooleoptera ; family, Scarabaeidae. 
A stout black beetle 17 millimeters (ft, inch) long, boring into the stalk of sugar 
cane under the surface of the ground. 
This, the most serious insect enemy of the sugar cane known in the 
United States, has created great anxiety in those localities in which it 
has become destructive. We, there- 
fore, have made an effort to learn all 
that is possible respecting its life his- 
tory, and the most practicable ways 
of preventing its injuries. Much, 
however, remains to be discovered ; 
and this account is published for the 
purpose of placing before the sugar 
planters what is known respecting 
this pest, and to indicate the lines of 
investigation w hich it is important 
should still be followed. 
It is hoped that those who have 
opportunities for making daily ob- 
servations, and who are really the 
ones most interested in the matter, 
will help us to clear up the life his- 
tory of the insect, and will aid us by 
conducting experiments in protect- 
ing their crops from its ravages. 
The department will do all in its 
power to accomplish these ends ; but 
its efforts can be greatly facilitated 
by the cooperation of those planters 
whose fields are infected by the 
beetle. 
The principal source of our present 
information respecting this insect, 
in addition to what has been learned 
through correspondence with planters, is the results of an investigation 
made during the month of March, 1881, by my assistant, Mr. L. O. How- 
