AMERICAN WILD VINE. 147 



the ground in the spring, not all at one time, but at irregular intervals, and lay 

 their eggs on the lower side of the terminal leaves of the vine. In the month of 

 July the false caterpillars, hatched from these eggs, may be seen on the leaves, 

 in little swarms, of various ages, some very small, and others fully grown. 

 They feed in company, side by. side, beneath tlie leaves, each swarm or fraternity 

 consisting of a dozen or more individuals, and they preserve their ranks with a 

 surprising degree of regularity. Beginning at the edge, they eat the whole of 

 the leaf to the stalk, and then go to another, which, in like manner, they devour, 

 and thus proceed from leaf to leaf, down the branch, till they have grown to 

 their full size. At this period, they are about five-eighths of an inch in length, 

 somewhat slender and tapering, and thickest before the middle, having twenty- 

 two legs. The head and the tip of the tail are black ; the body, above, is light- 

 green, paler before and behind, with two transverse rows of minute black points 

 across each ring; and the lower side of the body is yellowish. After their last 

 moulting they become almost entirely yellow, and then leave the vine, burrow 

 into the ground, and form themselves small oval cells of earth, which they line 

 with a slight silken film. In abput two weeks after entering the ground, having 

 in the mean time passed through the chrysalis state, they come out of their 

 earthen cells, take wing, pair, and lay their eggs for another brood. The 

 young of the second brood are not transformed to flies before the following 

 spring, but remain at rest, in the mean time, in their cocoons.* A solution of 

 one pound of whale-oil soap in six or seven gallons of soft water has been 

 recommended to be thrown upon the vines in order to destroy these flies ; but 

 should this prove ineffectual, fumigation with tobacco, red-pepper seeds, or other 

 hot, acrid substances may be tried. 



The Vitis labrusca is sometimes attacked by several species of the Geometridee, 

 such as span-worms, loopers, measurers, etc. ; but not often to very great injury. 

 When the wounds, made by pruning the branches, the roots, or the ends of the 

 cuttings, are not protected by a coat of fine earth, white-lead mixed with oil, or 

 some other substance, the soft pith and decayed wood are also liable to be 

 attacked by ants, centipeds, and other wood-eating insects, (Xylophagidse,) 

 which sometimes perforate an inconsiderable portion of the stem, thus secretly 

 destroying its vigour, and eventually its life, without any visible external cause. 



This species of vine is not subject to any other accidents of importance, except 

 in some of its varieties, which are sometimes killed or greatly injured by the 

 rigours of winter, or by vernal northerly winds. To guard against these evils, it 

 is only necessary to bend down the vines from the trellis even with the ground, 

 late in autumn, and cover them over with earth to the depth of eight or ten inches, 

 and let them remain until early in the following spring, when the covering must 

 be removed, and the shoots readjusted to the trellis as in the year before : and 

 to protect them in situations exposed to the northern blast, they may be sheltered 

 by walls, buildings, or by hedges of other trees. 



Properties and Uses. The wood of the Vitis labrusca, from its diminutive 

 size, open texture, and comparative scarcity, is very limited in its use in the 

 arts. When reduced to charcoal, it may be employed by painters for drawing 

 outlines, or may be used as a tooth-powder. It has been suggested that the 

 prunings of this species may be cut into small pieces, bruised, put into a vat. 

 and boiling water poured upon them, which, on being fermented like malt, 

 would make a fine beverage, either strong or weak; and on being distilled, 

 would produce a spirit analogous to brandy. The green twigs, or fresh cuttings, 

 have been recommended, as a substitute for rape, in flavouring vinegar. The 

 fruit, when ripe and fresh, is considered as wholesome, nutritious, refrigerant, 



* Harris' Report, p. 378. 



