266 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



To the neglectful soil-tiller, who does not apply insecticides until 

 he is driven to it by the ruin already wrought on his crops, friendly 

 insects are indeed a blessing, and to them he frequently owes the com- 

 parative safety or the salvation of his crops. 



At any rate, our insect friends deserve protection; but to be able 

 to protect them we must know them. The accompanying illustration 

 pictures some of the more common of our garden-helpers among 

 insects. 



In Fig. 1 we see, somewhat reduced in size, the largest of the 

 species of caterpillar hunters or ground beetles. The entomologists 

 ■call it CaJosoma scrutator. Beetle and larva of a somewhat smaller, 

 but more brilliantly colored species. The fiery ground beetle fCalo- 

 soma ealidunij is shown in Fig. 2. These ground beetles and their 

 larvfB well deserve their common name — "caterpillar hunters" — for 

 they destroy great numbers of caterpillar of all kinds. As they do 

 most of their hunting and foraging at night, when cut-worms are out 

 and bent on doing their mischief, they catch and destroy these trouble- 

 some pests of the gardener in especially large numbers. They seem 

 to kill as much for the pleasure of killing as for using their victims as 

 food; and undoubtedly they are of far greater service to us than a 

 ■casual observer might imagine. 



Lady-birds are common here as well as everywhere else. Most 

 numerous, and perhaps most useful, is the nine-spotted lady-bird fCoc- 

 cinella 0-notataJ. It feeds on almost all kinds of plant lice, and its 

 services to the fruit-grower, as well as to the gardener, should not be 

 underrated. An ordinary good observer will not fail to meet numerous 

 specimens on his daily rounds in the vegetable or fruit garden. An- 

 other common and useful species is the Bpoiied lady -hiTd fMegilla macu- 

 lata) pictured in Fig. 3. It is easily recognized by its large spots and 

 its deep red, almost carmine, color. In New Jersey I have seen some 

 of these lady-birds clustered together in warm days of the winter at the 

 foot of some cottonwood trees in such numbers that they might easily 

 have been scooped up by quarts. 



The greatest service, perhaps, that lady-birds have ever rendered 

 me, go far as I am aware of, is the destruction of potato beetle eggs. 

 Our little bug friends seem to be quite fond of these eggs. They hunt 

 for them on the under side of the potato leaves, and suck egg after 

 egg until the whole cluster is used up. In some cases, especially 

 while I lived in New Jersey, and in seasons when the potato beetles 

 appeared only in moderate numbers, I have relied on these lady-birds 

 and the grand lebia (Lehia grandisj shown in Fig. 4, to clear my potato 



