2 
As my last report was more purely scientific than either of the pre¬ 
ceding ones, I felt called upon for an explanation, especially as I have 
all along argued the necessity of being as practicable as possible. 
I gave as reasons; first, the effect of the school law of our State 
adding the natural history branches to the studies of our common 
schools; which has been to awaken an interest in natural history in 
the minds of teachers and students throughout the State to an extent 
scarcely anticipated by the most sanguine. This largely increased 
the demand for these reports; and I was informed by teachers that one 
thing greatly desired was scientific and tabulated arrangements of 
groups with descriptions of genera and species which might be used 
as a means of illustrating the method of identifying genera and species. 
A second reason was, that in carrying out my plan of devoting a 
part of my work to a Manual of Economic Entomology, whenever I 
entered upon the natural history of a group, I desired to complete it 
so far as was contemplated by the plan. 
The present report, on the other hand, is made, so far as possible, 
practical and hence is arranged on a practical and not systematic 
basis. The extensive destruction of that valuable, and now almost in- 
dispensible esculent—the cabbage—throughout a great portion of our 
State the past season has called my attention in a special manner to 
cabbage insects. I have therefore devoted a portion of the report to 
that subject. That exceedingly injurious species, the European cabbage- 
worm —Pieris rapw ,—which was introduced into North America about 
1857, making its first appearance in the vicinity of Quebec, Canada, 
has now spread over the northern half of our country from the At¬ 
lantic coast to the Missouri river. Fortunately it is bringing with it 
its special parasites, particularly the little Chalcid fly —Pteromalus pu- 
parum which has so largely aided in keeping it in check in Europe. 
I may remark here that it is somewhat singular, that this little Hymenop- 
terous insect appears to be a native of this continent as well as of 
Europe. The large number of the chrysalids of the cabbage worm 
which appear to be parisitized lead me to hope that next season our 
gardeners will find this little fly an efficient aid in keeping this im¬ 
ported cabbage insect in check. 
Toward the close of the season a new foe to the cabbage made its 
appearance in the southern part of the State, which, if we judge by 
its operations during last fall, may prove a formidable pest in the 
garden. This species, which I have named the Purple Cabbage-icorm., 
is the larva of a little Pvralid moth ,—Pionea rimosalis , Guee—for 
which we have no common name. Not only were these worms as 
numerous, in the limited section where thev were observed, as the Euro- 
pean species, but were, if possible, more destructive and equally tena- 
ceous of life. It is possible the long continued warm weather of 
Autumn brought this pest upon us, and that it may not hereafter 
trouble us to any considerable extent. If it is a southern species this 
will most probably be the case, but it is somewhat singular it has 
never been heard of before if this be so. 
lhe little corn Aphis, which will be found fully described in my 
former report, has been quite injurious in a few sections in the north¬ 
ern central part of the State during the past season. Although it 
attacks the tassel, ear, stalk and roots, the injury in this case appears 
to have resulted almost entirely from the attacks on the roots. I can¬ 
not but think that a little timely work would in a large measure 
