84 Mississij^pi Valley Hortieullural Society. 



ably destroy .such cutworms as occurred in the fields; would certainly ex- 

 terminate the plant-lice, which at this time would be found upon the crowns, 

 either as eggs or as newly hatched young; and would probably kill the crown 

 miner algo, which is at this time still in the crown, lacking some weeks of its 

 full development. The strawberry worm, however, being imbedded in the 

 ground, prepared for its final transformation, would not now be injuriously 

 affected. Neither would the leaf-roller, nor the smeared dagger, nor the root- 

 worm, nor the white grub, nor the larva of the goldsmith beetle, be prevented 

 from completing their development. True, these insects on emerging would 

 find no bi-eeding places in the field, but this fact would simply force them to 

 scatter to other situations, thus transferring, but, perhaps, scarcely mitigating 

 their attack. If plowing be postponed until September or October, the 

 crown miner would doubtless be destroyed, and manj' if not all of the root- 

 worms would be prevented from reaching maturity, especially if the field 

 Avere plowed early in the first month mentioned or late in August. At. this 

 time, also, the young white grubs hatched from the eggs laid in June and 

 July Avould perhaps also perish, and the plant-lice, collected upon the crowns, 

 would share the same fate. 



If it be desired to exterminate the crown-borer and the root-worm without 

 changing ground and without alternation of crops, I see but one way in 

 which this can be done. If the vines are thoroughly treated with Paris 

 green or some other equally effective insect poison from the middle of June 

 to the middle of August, when the beetles of the root-worm are on the leaves, 

 and there will probably be little trouble from these worms the following 

 year; and if on this next year, the field be plowed up imnifdiately after 

 picking, it will be impossible for the crown-borer to survive until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when I believe that the ground may then be safely reset. 



But I need not ring the changes on all possible methods of treating the 

 field at each season of the year, as, with such an insect calendar as that here- 

 with given before him, every intelligent fruit-grower, knowing the species 

 with which he has to deal, can decide for himself what measures are best 

 suited to meet existing conditions. 



I will add only a few words on the establishment of new plantations in a 

 way to escape infection by insects from old fields. Of course two points are 

 to be considered ; first, that of securing yoimg plants free from noxious in- 

 sects in any stage, and second, that of guarding the newly planted fields from 

 invasion. Here, again, everything depends on the insects occurring in the 

 field. If it is the strawberry worm or the cutworm, or the root-worm, or 

 the white grub which is to be guarded against, the young plants may be 

 taken up at any time before April, but every care must be taken that none 

 of the hibernating larvse or puprc are transferred among the roots. If the 

 field should happen to be infested by the crown miner, only the stools 

 which formed in autumn would be certainly free from this pest, and the 

 difficulty of distinguishing these from those of earlier growth, which might 



