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i ; NOTES 
i INSECTS AFFECTING SORGHUM AND BROOM-CORN. 
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INTRODUCTORY. 
Although decidedly among the minor products of the State at 
ssent, these crops are of sufficient importance to repay well at- 
ltion to their insect enemies. From the crop report of the State 
ipartment of Agriculture for 1683, we learn that the area 
sorghum in Illinois for that year was 14,023 acres, and 
it of broom corn 33,922 acres; the value of the former crop being 
imated at $604,157, and that of the latter at $1,481,717. The cul- 
•e of sorghum has lately acquired an additional importance not 
licated by these figures, from the fact of the recent discovery of 
ithods of manufacture of sugar from the syrup, which are said to 
economically profitable, if applied on a large scale. 
[f the present promise of progress in this direction is made good, 
shall soon see an enormous expansion of sorghum culture 
•oughout the greater part of the State; and as this expansion is 
ely to result in a very irregular distribution of the area devoted 
this plant, the regions immediately surrounding the sugar manu- 
tories being largely cropped with it, year after year, the oppor- 
fity afforded for the development and multiplication of its insect 
umies must be very greatly increased. Doubtless, therefore, the 
uries due to insects thus far apparent, furnish us a mere 
it of those to be expected in the future, unless the producer of 
ghum uses greater foresight, watchfulness, and intelligence in this 
pect, than has heretofore been the rule among those interested 
other farm crops. To the economic entomologist, the unusual 
1 interesting opportunity seems likely to be afforded to watch the 
it beginnings of serious mischief to an expanding crop, and to 
e timely Avarning of the approach of danger. 
n previous reports from this office, the insects injurious to sor- 
im and broom-corn ha\ 7 e received no attention; the latter plant 
ng not even* mentioned in any of them. In fact, I do not know 
4 any report or paper on the insect enemies of these crops has 
n published in this country; all the literature relating to them 
listing only of brief and scattered notes. 
n the present article I propose to • collate these scattered items, 
1 to report the results of my own observations, made in Central 
nois, during the past season. 
t is deemed scarcely worth while to treat broom-corn and sorghum 
arately, since, notwithstanding their widely different agricultural 
s, they are so closely related in the botanical system as to make 
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