250 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



1-2 EDWARD VII., A. 1902 



it, I take it to be an unusual visitor. Kindly tell me what it is and the best way to 

 eradicate it.' — W. O. Bcrgess. 



Mr. Burgess was written to that his enemy was the Grape-vine Cola-pis, and in- 

 formed that the remedy usually recommended was to jar the beetles from the vines 

 early in the morning onto sheets spread beneath, when they could be collected and 

 destroyed. He answered as follows : — 



' Queenston, July 18. — Even in the early morning the beetles fly so quickly that 

 it would not be feasible to shake them from the vines, as you suggest. I have 2,500 

 vines, more or less damaged at the tips, and, from the experience of the past two 

 years, I expect next month to be the worst.' 



' Toronto, November 27. — In reply to your inquiry, I tried about. July 18 (when 

 the beetles first made their appearance in any numbers), first, 4 oz. Paris green in 

 40 gallons Bordeaux mixture, then 5 oz., and then 6 oz., without doing any real dam- 

 age to the foliage ; yet it was hardly a success. It was then that I wrote you in re- 

 ference to whale-oil soap. After receiving yours in reply, as I had no soap handy, 

 I decided to go a little stronger and used 7 and 8 oz. of Paris green and lime and 

 water, but no bluestone. This spray mixture cleaned out all the beetles (practically) 

 and did some considerable damage to the tips. Take it all in all, the 7 oz. should be 

 sufficient to destroy the Colaspis, and the vines soon get over the effects of the burning. 

 They were set hack very little with me. One block of 1,188 vines of the spring plant- 

 ing were badly "hit"; yet, a vineyard of the same size at the other end of the farm, 

 which as a " spring planting," was badly eaten, as a yearling block, was left alone. With 

 me the Colaspis only attacks the spring planting and lea": i the sturdier vines alone. 

 I believe 4 oz. of Paris green is not sufficient, and another year I will use 7 oz. and try 

 and get them early. If I remember correctly, the beetles app i the same time each 



year, about the 15th July.' — W. O. BURGE . 



The life history of the Grape-vine Colaspis has been studied by many investiga- 

 tors. Dr. C. V. Riley published an article on the subject in his Third Missouri Report, 

 and Prof. Forbes has also treated of it at length in his Thirteenth Report, p. 15G. 



The injury by this beetle is, as was noticed by Mr. Burgess, largely confined to tie' 

 tender foliage of young grape vines. There are many plants, however, which are 

 occasionally attacked by it in either the larval or perfect form. Among other plants, 

 injuries have been reported iqion strawberries and beans, upon which the attack is fre- 

 quently of a serious nature, the roots of strawberries being injured by the larvse, and 

 the leaves of strawberries and beans being destroyed by the beetles. Other plants 

 attacked are the potato, clover and the dock. The beetle has also been noticed devour- 

 ing the silk of corn before the kernels had been fertilized. 



Dr. Riley was of the opinion that this insect should have been considered primar- 

 ily a strawberry pest. He says, Missouri Rep. 3, p. S3 : ' "We are now treating of this 

 insect as a grape-vine pest ; but it is difficult to say whether the Crown-borer (Tylo- 

 derma fragaricv, Riley) or this root eater is the most injurious to the strawberry. The 

 work of the two is esentially different, the white Crown-borer confining itself to 

 crown, and its more dingy ally devouring the fibrous roots and working into the more 

 woody part from the outside. At this work several of them frequently may be seen 

 with their heads stuck into different parts of one root. They may be found upon the 

 roots all through the fall, winter and spring months, and do not begin to change to 

 pupa? in this latitude till the month of June. The beetles , tr during that month 

 and continue to issue till towards fall.' After leaving the ground the Grape-vine 

 Colaspis beetles feed for a short period on the young leaves of the strawberry and do 

 some injury. After feeding for a time, they deposit their eggs and fly to the vineyards, 

 where they are found, as was the case in Mr. Burgess's vineyard-, about the middle of 

 July. 



The remedies which have been recommended are the application of poisonous mix- 

 tures to the foliage and the shaking of the beetles from the vines very early in the 

 morning before they become active. Whale-oil soap has been found very effective 



