14 
of this beetle after the corn hacl bugun to tassel out. Otuer stalks j 
would be found leaning over at the ground, and then growing erect. 
These stalks ^ere found to have been injured by the Mr before 
the corn had developed more than four or five join.s. This was 
known by finding the roots eaten off and destroyed for about one- 
half their length, new roots having put out and furnished nourish- ; 
ment to the plant, after the larvae had reached maturity. He , 
further says that a small field planted about the first of July was j 
entirely destroyed by the larvae of this beetle before the corn reached 
maturity. Stock was turned into this field, and it was used as a feed ■ 
lot during the entire winter. About the first of July, a 88*2, it was 
planted again to corn, and again almost entirely destroyed. 
During a brief visit in September, to Jacksonville, in Morgan 
county, a few fields were examined near the city. In some which 
had been planted to corn for several years successively, about twenty 
per cent, of the hills were badly affected, and the yield was evi¬ 
dently greatly impaired. The worm was also found at work in the 
vicinity of Jerseyville, in a large proportion of the fields inspected, 
but was not doing very serious damage in any of them. 
In extreme Southern Illinois, during a trip, from Cairo to Van- 
dalia, a careful search of the fields discovered none of the worms 
until Centralia was reached. Here a field of twenty acres, belong¬ 
ing to Mr. Gf. A. Brunton, had been previously almost entirely de¬ 
stroyed as a consequence of an injury, which, from his description, 
was probably that of the corn root-worm. 
From the foregoing data, we must conclude that the pest is widely 
scattered through the corn-growing belt of Illinois, but is apparently 
more injurious at present north of the center, where tlM damage is 
sufficient to attract general attention, and to cause widespread 
alarm. It has doubtless been more or less prevalent for ten or 
twelve years, but has increased rapidly in numbers and destructive 
energy for the last four or five. Its scarcity southward affords no 
assurance of continuous exemption from serious harm. 
Besides the occurrence of the pest in Missouri already noted, the 
following report of its devastations in Iowa will be of interest: 
In September, 1882, the Walnut News, a paper published in Pot¬ 
tawattamie county, in Southwestern Iowa, said: “For some time 
complaints have been made that the corn was not earing as rapidly 
as it should, and that the cause of it was a small worm eating the 
roots. General attention was not attracted until this week; and 
then, in those localities where the storm of Monday night was felt, 
the universal prevalence of this pest became apparent. Acres of 
corn fell flat, and when examined it was found that the roots had 
been eaten to such an extent that it could not stand up under a 
wind. Corn on stubble ground is not molested in the least, as near 
as can be learned, but that which has been in corn the third year, 
or more, is assailed most, and mainly upon the tops of ridges or 
high dry ground. This is said to be one reason why the corn on 
the ridges is so slow in earing and growing, the worms having taken 
tne main root. In such cases, where the corn is not blown down, 
new roots are forming, and the infested hills may mature, if the 
season is sufficiently late. We have, directly and indirectly, com- 
