6 
crop of the year; a grape louse awakened some alarm by a sudden- 
attack on the vineyards in Northern Illinois; a plum aphis became^ 
a pest in nurseries of young plum trees; and a melon aphis very 
considerably diminished the yield of melons and cucumbers, even 
destroying many fields in the early spring and summer. 
Although a wet season is generally regarded as injurious to most 
insects—especially if a low temperature conspires to retard mul¬ 
tiplication, one of the worst pests of our cornfields, the corn root- 
worm, Diabrotica longicornis , Say, was evidently not unfavorably 
affected by the weather this year. Its injuries were fully as serious 
as ever before, and more widespread than they have before been known, 
notwithstanding the fact that the eggs in the ground and the newly- 
hatched worms were exposed to daily drenchings by cold rains until 
the first of July. It is not impossible, however, that a cool and wet 
fall would have an unfavorable effect on this worm, as it is at this 
time that the eggs are deposited. 
A good deal of complaint of the work of the Hessian fly has reached 
the office, this fall, from Southern Illinois, and there can be little 
doubt that this insect is at present increasing in numbers in that 
region. The same may be said of the Angoumois grain moth, which' 
works upon grain both in the stack and in store, and which must 
certainly be vigorously attacked, if we would insure ourselves against 
great and increasing loss. Among the common orchard pests I have 
seen no especial outbreak, except in the case of the cherry slug and 
the white tussock caterpillar, both of which were unusually abun¬ 
dant in the northern part of the State. 
Among strawberry-growers, increasing anxiety is felt respecting 
the ravages of the crown-borer and the strawberry root-worm, and 
everything possible has been done which the brief time would per¬ 
mit, to complete the life histories of these insects and to work out 
methods of preventing and escaping their ravages. 
More or less work has been done on all the insects above men¬ 
tioned, as well as upon several others, and many of the results are 
presented in this report. A considerable number of observations 
and experiments are withheld, however, until the subjects to which 
they relate can be more thoroughly worked out. 
The field work of the season has been prosecuted as actively as 
possible in all parts of the State. Early in July I visited the fields 
of corn, sorghum and broom corn, at Champaign, and went from 
thence up the Illinois Central to Chicago, stopping at frequent in¬ 
tervals for short trips through the country, and using every oppor¬ 
tunity to collect information concerning injuries, and to inspect the 
growing crops personally. From thence I went to Waukegan, and 
along the line of the Chicago and Northwestern to Freeport, re¬ 
turning south by the Central to Normal again. In August I went 
to Stark county, for the special purpose of observing the work of 
the corn root-worm. In this month, an assistant, Mr. F. M. Web¬ 
ster, spent three weeks in making field observations and collections 
in DeKalb and adjoining counties, and later visited Mason county 
for the same purposes. In September, another assistant, Mr. W. 
IT. Garman, went to extreme Southern Illinois, charged especially 
with the investigation of insects affecting the strawberry, but making. 
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